How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?
by ThisAccountIsNowInactive354085
Summary: Everybody knows Tsubomi loves Yaya, but what's it going to take for Yaya to admit her own feelings? Maybe it's time for a little push in the right direction from a certain professional...various pairings.
1. An Enemy Sighted

**So this time, I think the forum actually IS dying, so I've decided to put out another fic- this may or may not be a oneshot, depending on whether or not anyone actually reviews this time. So please, if you like it, review! There's no point in writing if nobody's reading this.**

**Summary: We all know that Tsubomi's in love with Yaya, but Yaya's emotions are left a mystery after the end of the show. But what if someone new showed up? Someone who had an interest in Tsubomi and was even MORE blatant in showing that interest than Yaya? Would Yaya be as unconcerned as she likes to appear, or would she start to realize her feelings for Tsubomi? Sometimes all it takes is a push in the right direction.**

**-A/N: I HATE OCs, ESPECIALLY when someone pairs them up with a main character, so I borrowed a character from another anime…**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively- oh, I bet you know who I'm using now…**

"Yaya-sempai, get _up_!"

Yaya groaned in acknowledgement of the pillow that collided with the back of her head. She was lying face-down on her bed, her arms stretched over her head haphazardly, her legs tangled up in the thick comforter. "Question, Tsubomi-chan," she mumbled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking about five-years-old. The pinkette in question blushed deeply at the sight. Not only were Yaya's actions adorable, but the older girl was only wearing a slip-shoulder red nightgown that covered down to the top part of her thighs. Sitting down like she was (undignified and boyish), there wasn't much left to the imagination. "Is your voice really that annoying, or do you do it on purpose?"

Tsubomi growled, the tenderness of the moment completely lost. "Baka!" she spat, huffing when Yaya cracked a sleepy (adorable) smile. She stomped over and shoved the amused girl back onto the bed. "And don't sit like that!"

"Like what?" Yaya asked through a yawn.

"Like a boy!" Tsubomi shot back, shrieking when a strong arm suddenly snaked its way around her waist and yanked her down. After several seconds, Tsubomi realized that instead of a relatively cool, spring-form mattress, whatever she was lying on was undeniably soft, and seemed to mold to her form. She was about five seconds from wrapping her arms around it like a giant teddy bear before she realized exactly what 'it' was and flushed bright red.

"I didn't realize you felt so strongly for me, Tsu-bo-mi-chan," Yaya cooed from underneath her, easily keeping the pinkette pinned to her with only one arm. Part of the reason was simply that she enjoyed Tsubomi's flustered reactions, but a much bigger (and better hidden) part of her liked the feeling of having the girl in her arms. But she ignored it- it was just her body trying to get over Hikari.

"Ba-ba-ba-"

"Did I break you?"

"BAKA!" Tsubomi cried, shoving Yaya's arm away and proceeding to race out of the room like a cat on steroids, leaving Yaya staring after her, extremely confused because let's face it- she's not the brightest tool in the shed.

**PGBR**

"Are you okay, Tsubomi-chan?"

Tsubomi glanced up from mutilating her salad to face the concerned stare of Hikari, who'd become more outspoken since she was elected as Etoile. She had half a mind to say, "No, I'm not, and it's all your fault, isn't it? Because if it weren't for you, I might actually have a chance with Yaya-sempai, wouldn't I? And if it weren't for you, I could be around Yaya-sempai more because _you're _the reason she's never around anymore." But she didn't say that. "Yeah," she muttered lamely. "Just tired."

Hikari bit her lip uncertainly, looking to Amane for guidance. Finally, after receiving stony silence in response, she turned back to Tsubomi. "Tsubomi-chan," she began uncertainly- sneaky plotting was not her thing, but even SHE could see how blind Yaya was being. "I have a cousin who's going to be attending Spica as a transfer student- maybe you could help her for a little bit, until she gets used to the school?" Hikari knew her cousin, and if she laid her eyes on Tsubomi, the last thing she'd be wanting was a tour, but she also knew that Tsubomi would never disobey a political request.

"Sure, Hikari-sempai," she said listlessly, and Hikari winced. All she could do at this point was hope that her cousin was able to bring out the blushing side of Tsubomi and the extremely…green…side of Yaya that she knew existed. And the best part was that if by some miracle Yaya truly didn't have feelings for Tsubomi, and it all turned out to be a misunderstanding on Hikari's part, neither would be any the wiser, and Tsubomi might actually get something out of it anyway.

At that moment, the sound of a chair being pulled back interrupted the awkward silence, and Hikari smiled softly when Yaya threw herself down in the seat next to Tsubomi, casually ruffling the pinkette's hair as she sat down. Tsubomi scowled and turned to glare at Yaya some more, just to show that she wasn't forgiven for her comment earlier, but the genuinely sincere apology in those amber eyes made her snappy retort melt in her mouth. Grumbling to herself, she returned to mutilating her lunch.

**PGBR**

Four o'clock found Tsubomi waiting with Hikari for her cousin at the front gates. Well, she said just the two of them, but…

"Why did Yaya-baka have to come?" she grumbled, arms folded tightly over her chest as she watched Yaya coo at and coddle a bright red Hikari. The older girl looked up from her ministrations, a positively feral smirk on her face.

"Jealous, Tsubomi-chan?" she asked, skipping over to Tsubomi with her hands clasped behind her back. A relieved Hikari shot Tsubomi a grateful smile before turning back to the street just as a shiny yellow Bug swerved around the corner at a dangerous speed. The other two girls were virtually oblivious to their surroundings at the moment. "Maybe I should pay attention to you too, hmm?"

Tsubomi opened her mouth reflexively before snapping it shut again, rethinking what she'd been about to say. Yes had been the immediate answer- yes, she was jealous, and yes, Yaya-sempai should pay more attention to her. But giving in so easily, even when she was so exhausted, might alert even Yaya to her not-so-hidden feelings.

"How's my favorite little cousin?"

Tsubomi jumped about a foot in the air at the loud, enthusiastic voice that sounded from less than a meter away from her. She scowled at Yaya, who had immediately burst into a fresh round of laughter. Huffing, she turned to face Hikari, who was, she realized with a slight frown on her face, currently being glomped by a blonde with shoulder-length hair and a smile like the Cheshire cat. The first thought to run through her mind went something like: _Oh god. It's Yaya-sempai in a different body. Oh god. She's taking over the world. Ohgodohgodohgod. _And then, belatedly and significantly more horrifying: _What if I fall in love with her, too? _She had to admit, she really had a knack for choosing them. Knowing her luck, this girl was probably suffering from some long, unrequited and romantically tragic love.

She was about to start hyperventilating when suddenly, the girl's face was only an inch away from hers, and she let out a little shriek of surprise. A few feet away, Yaya's head jerked up at the sound, her eyebrows furrowing almost instinctively for half a second before she resumed her playful grin. Noting the quick action, Hikari smiled knowingly at her friend; Yaya's gut reflex was to make sure that Tsubomi wasn't in danger.

The blonde in front of Tsubomi laughed heartily. "I like you," she exclaimed, "you've got a baby-monster scream just like Yumi-chan!" And before Tsubomi had quite regained her senses, the blonde had glomped her just like she had glomped Hikari a second before. "Oh, and you blush just like her, too!" The blonde grinned. "Satou Sei. And I'm guessing you're my guide?"

Blushing heavily, Tsubomi nodded, too disoriented to do much else. "Okuwaka Tsubomi," she said shyly, biting her lip and glancing up at the tall blonde.

"Yes!" Sei pumped her fist in victory. "I was hoping you'd be cute, but you've surpassed even my humble expectations!"

From a few yards away, Hikari watched one of Yaya's eyebrows twitch almost imperceptibly, but it was too early to be making guesses. Sei was taking everything the brunette did to Tsubomi and doubling it, and Tsubomi was hardly reacting, and when she _did _react, it was only to blush and stutter. Yaya could just be experiencing jet lag. "Right, well," Tsubomi said, trying her best to keep her words from running together, "it's a bit late for much of a tour today, but you can at least see the dorms and the dining room." Sei grinned and flung an arm around Tsubomi's shoulders.

"Lead the way!"

Tsubomi blushed, then cursed herself for it- this Sei person wasn't a Yaya-clone. She was ten times worse! So why was her only reaction to blush and stutter at everything the blonde said? Glancing back at Yaya, who looked as if a train had just hit her head-on, she came to a shaky conclusion. Yes, Yaya teased her, just like Sei. But Yaya's teasing was just that- teasing. Sei's teasing was blatantly flirtatious, and most certainly _not _argumentative and insulting. With the warm weight of the blonde's arm around her neck, Tsubomi felt relief pool at the bottom of her stomach. Maybe with this girl by her side, loving Yaya wouldn't be quite so horrible.

**PGBR**

"And that's Rokujou Miyuki-sama, the president of Miator."

Sei glanced over her shoulder, gazing at the girl Tsubomi had indicated for a solid few moments before turning back. To answer Tsubomi's questioning gaze, she shook her head lightly. "She reminds me of someone I used to know," is all she said, a far-off expression gracing her features.

Throughout dinner, Sei divided her time between flirting with a blushing Tsubomi while Yaya stared on, shell-shocked, and staring unabashedly at the Miator council president.

Finally, it got to the point where others were noticing, but the person who actually said something about it came as a surprise to everyone at the table.

"She's not a piece of meat, you know." A rather peeved-looking Shion was glaring at Sei, arms folded over her chest, her posture rigid. From across the cafeteria, Chikaru smiled knowingly while Miyuki sat there, dumbfounded. Usually, when Shion stormed out of her seat like that (which happened every other day or so), it was to reprimand a student for inappropriate table manners or PDA. It was completely shocking to see the Spican president reprimand someone for looking, let alone at _Miyuki_. Miyuki debated stopping Shion, but decided instead to sit back and see where it went.

Slowly, Sei raised her eyes to meet the flashing amethyst, her lips curving into a sly smile, seemingly picking up on something only Chikaru had. "Of course not," she said smoothly. "Girls are lovely, graceful creatures that should be treated like queens." She winked in Miyuki's direction, causing the girl to blush lightly, no matter how strict she tried to act. "Wouldn't you agree, president?"

Shion's jaw clenched. "I can't punish you for looking, Satou-san," she finally grit out, "but do try to keep it tasteful- we _are_ eating here."

Sei grinned. "Will do," she cried out to Shion's retreating back. "Now, Tsubomi-chan, would you like to try some taiyaki?" She held her fork out to Tsubomi, inwardly laughing at the fiercely red blush on Tsubomi's face. Looking up for an instant, her day was completed- the dark-haired girl across from her was wearing a complex expression. The confusion was there, but other than that, she was a carbon copy of Sachiko the night she fed taiyaki to Yumi, amber eyes burning first into hers and then into the side of Tsubomi's blushing face, as if trying to solve an unsolvable problem.

**PGBR**

"So I get the feeling your friend doesn't like me much?"

"Tsubomi?" Hikari asked, because even with the amount of growth she'd done as an Etoile, she was still a bit thick sometimes. "Oh, you mean Yaya-chan."

Sei nodded with a grin and flopped back on the bed of the room she was sharing with Hikari for the time being. "But I think it confused her more than it confused me," she said after a moment, "the expressions on her face were almost as fun as Yumi-chan's. It's funny- it's like watching a mix of me, Yumi and Sachiko all in one."

Hikari nodded, having met her cousin's friends a while back. "Yaya-chan's not usually so…contemplative," she said. "But I think the way you act around Tsubomi-chan is really setting her emotions on edge."

Sei raised an eyebrow. "Should I stop?" she asked. "It's too bad, though…she really is cute."

"No, no, you don't have to stop," Hikari said quickly, shaking her head. She sighed as Sei raised a pair of imploring eyes up to her own. "Look, Tsubomi-chan is in love with Yaya-chan, but Yaya-chan's too blind to see it, much less the fact that she loves her too."

"So you want me to play the villain?" Sei asked with a grin, though it wasn't so much a question as a statement.

Hikari bit her lip, already losing confidence in her plan. "Do you think it's awful?"

Sei grinned. "Not if we do it right," she said. "It's not like I'm going to try and steal Tsubomi-chan away, and from the way I've caught her staring at Yaya-san, I think it's worth it."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "It's always worth it to you," she stated softly. "But what if Yaya-chan doesn't get jealous?"

Sei laughed out loud this time. "Trust me, she will," she said, "I know her type. It doesn't seem like she'd get jealous or protective because of her playful attitude, but it's always the flirty ones that fall the hardest and defend their love the most when they recognize it for what it is. Besides," she said with a quick wink, "I think it's already starting to work. Remember when I joked about kissing Tsubomi-chan goodnight?"

Hikari giggled, remembering the way the emotions had played across Yaya's face at hyper speed- she'd gone from confusion to barely-concealed rage in less than one second. Having known Yaya for more than a year, she could somewhat understand what was going through her head. Tsubomi had been Yaya's one constant, as well as a blushing, teasing target for Yaya and Yaya alone ever since the Etoile elections. And all of a sudden, here came this new girl who only had to smile and wink for Tsubomi to melt into a puddle of blushing, stuttering mush, even though she teased Tsubomi just as much as Yaya did. The brunette was so oblivious that she probably didn't realize that their teasing styles were entirely different- just that Tsubomi seemed to like Sei better for no reason at all.

Sei's thoughts, on the other hand, were nowhere near as deep. She'd found a new Yumi, discovered a very interesting dimension to the antagonistic relationship between two of the three council presidents, and managed to make not one, but two girls jealous enough to bite without any effort at all.

And this was only day one.

Sei grinned- she loved it here already.


	2. Green

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?**

**Chapter Two: Green is the Color of My True Love's Heart**

Yaya lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying not to think about the new girl- especially the way she made Tsubomi dissolve into a mess of stutters and blushes. Moaning, she rolled over in bed and buried her head in the pillow just as the door flung open.

"Morning Tsubomi-chaaaan," Yaya mumbled, not bothering to turn and face the pinkette. She heard a loud sigh and smiled to herself as Tsubomi went off on one of her lectures, not even noticing when Yaya picked herself up out of bed.

Tsubomi was still ranting when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her gingerly, and the warmth of Yaya's breath against her neck. Being as short as she was, her face was pressed into Yaya's chest, causing her to flush crimson. "Y-Yaya-sempai?"

Yaya pulled back with a grin that made Tsubomi huff and fold her arms over her chest. "Let's go to breakfast, pinky," she said, pushing Tsubomi aside gently by her head so that she could get to the bathroom. "Just give me a minute to get dressed."

"I can't today," Tsubomi said smugly, and it seemed to Yaya that she was taking entirely too much pleasure in not being able to. "I have to show Sei-sempai around campus."

_Sei-sempai? _A muscle in Yaya's jaw worked as the strange feeling from the day before returned in full force, and she suddenly had the urge to say something- anything that would make Tsubomi stay with her instead.

Bemused, Tsubomi watched the subtle curl of Yaya's upper lip as the older girl leaned back against the door. "Is there a problem with that?" Yaya actually opened her mouth to reply in the affirmative, but Tsubomi held up a hand to silence her. "You know what? It doesn't matter, because I'm doing it anyway. I promised Hikari-sempai," she stated nobly, ruining the effect several seconds later by muttering under her breath, "besides, it's kind of nice to have someone pay attention to me sometimes."

Tsubomi had flushed bright red, but for once, Yaya took no pleasure from it. She didn't like the way Tsubomi said 'for once'- wasn't she always giving the pinkette attention? And that damn blushing that she'd found so amusing just the day before was starting to rub her the wrong way. She stepped towards Tsubomi and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a voice she'd come to hate in just one day.

"Where's my Tsubomi-chaaaan?" Sei called, grinning the way she did every time she purposefully made Sachiko jealous for Yumi. Sighting the pinkette, she zoomed in on her target and pounced, eliciting the same squeal she had yesterday. Laughing, Sei looked up only to find Yaya glaring daggers at her- the dark-haired girl didn't bother trying to hide it. "Where are you taking me today, Tsubomi-chaaaan?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to Yaya's attempts to kill her with her eyes.

"W-well I was thinking we could start at the chapel, and then go from there?" Tsubomi asked, stumbling over her words yet _again_. "But maybe we should get breakfast first."

Yaya stood back, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes before she remembered something. "Sorry for interrupting your little reunion," she stated with a smile that the blonde matchmaker was quite familiar with, and Sei read Yaya's statement for the implications beneath it, not the spoken words. "But could you please let me get dressed in private?" _But stay away from my girl._

Sei returned the fake smile with a real one of her own and nodded emphatically. "But of course," she stated jovially, grabbing Tsubomi's wrist before Yaya could reach the pinkette. "But I get Tsubomi-chan!"

Tsubomi scoffed. "I doubt saying that was necessary," she mumbled. "It's not as if that of all things makes a difference to her."

Out of the corner of an experienced eye, Sei saw Yaya wince. "Tsubomi-chan…"

Tsubomi sighed and turned to face Yaya. "What, Yaya-sempai? I don't want to make Sei-sempai wait."

Sei held her breath- this was the moment that could make or break the master plan, and it was coming all too soon. Yaya wasn't supposed to have to decide until later whether to fight for her or not, when her feelings would hopefully be more defined. Resigning herself to the inevitable, Sei straightened and looked Yaya dead in the eyes in a nonverbal challenge, playing her part perfectly.

She watched in unadulterated surprise as Yaya set her jaw, her amber eyes flicking from Sei to Tsubomi for only a second before stepping in between the two girls. "I'm sure it won't hurt 'Sei-sempai' to wait for a moment- you've only been fawning over her since the moment she got here," the brunette said, her voice barely more than a growl.

Once over the initial shock, Sei's face split into a wide grin- this girl was more aware of her feelings than Hikari seemed to believe. She was just more careful with them, and who was Sei to blame her? She, of all people, knew the pain of a broken heart. She leaned back against the wall, arms folded over her chest, content to watch the scene that was playing out before her eyes.

"What are you talking about, Yaya-baka?" Tsubomi asked, genuinely confused, but blushing nonetheless. "I haven't been 'fawning' over anyone, and even if I was, it'd be none of your business. I didn't interrupt when you were flinging yourself at Hikari like a lovesick puppy, did I? Not even when it got painful to watch." Tears pricked at the corners of Tsubomi's eyes, but she forced them back; now was not the time to be jealous of Hikari.

"Are you kidding me?" Yaya replied, her tone soaked with disbelief. "Every time she _looks _at you, you melt into this big, blushing pool of mush!"

"What does it matter!"

This statement caused Yaya's jaw to snap shut, her amber eyes darting away from the furious pinkette. What _did _it matter? But she knew, because she'd already lost Hikari to Amane, and she wasn't prepared to lose Tsubomi to some pretentious, arrogant womanizer with a lion's grin. "Doesn't," she finally muttered, sitting back down on the bed with her arms folded over her chest. "I'm just…trying to look out for you."

From her position against the wall, Sei could watch as Tsubomi literally melted before her eyes- inside her head, she smirked. _This Yaya girl must be really thick if she can't see how much Tsubomi-chan adores her. Sounds familiar… _

Tsubomi sighed and shot Sei a pleading look. The older girl nodded with a knowing smile that caused Tsubomi to blush and Yaya to glare. "I'll just go down to breakfast with Hikari-chan, and you can show me around later, yeah?" She left the room as quickly as she'd entered, leaving Tsubomi alone with Yaya.

"Yaya-sempai," Tsubomi said quietly, treading carefully, because she never knew when Yaya was going to slip back into the badly timed teasing and joking. She sat down on the bed beside the older girl, looking up at her through large eyes and carefully resting some of her weight on her shoulders. To her surprise, Yaya's arm snaked around her back, causing the pinkette to fall into her generous chest with an inaudible squeak. Looking down, Yaya grinned and, before Tsubomi quite knew what was happening, kissed the younger girl on her forehead. "Y-yaya-sempai?"

Yaya stared at the wall for a moment. "Why is it different with her?" she finally said, blunt as ever.

Tsubomi bit her lip, caught between two choices that could possibly change the situation drastically- tell Yaya the truth, or lead her on a different trail entirely. Usually Tsubomi liked to think of herself as above lying, but looking at Yaya and her carefree, strong figure, she suddenly felt all the courage drain from her body. It was one thing to live in suspense, never knowing, forever hoping that she could possibly love Tsubomi back. It was another entirely to know that there was no chance at all. "Because…" She paused before it all came out in a rush. "Because it is different with Sei-sempai. All you ever do is argue and tease me and try to get me riled up, while Sei-sempai is kind and charming and…and treats me like an actual person, not an 'impertinent kouhai'." Her tone grew stronger and more bitter as her semi-rant went on, leaving her almost breathless by the time she was finished.

_You've already lied for more than a year- what's another day?_

She could feel Yaya's eyes on her, but refused to look at the older girl, instead staring straight ahead, fighting back the tears that threatened to leak out.

For her part, Yaya was feeling a whole myriad of emotions, guilt and hurt being among the largest. Tsubomi was right- she _did _only argue to get a reaction from the younger girl. _But it's not like it's _my _fault she's so cute when she blushes! _And then the hurt…it wasn't _fair_. Tsubomi _knew _Yaya saw her as more than just another stupid kouhai- she _had _to! And even if she didn't, she'd only known this Sei girl for a day, and already she ranked higher than Yaya on Tsubomi's scale of affection? And that's where a fire flared within Yaya, and all she wanted to do was shove that stupid Sei-_sempai _away from _her _Tsubomi-chan.

Funny that they called it a green-eyed monster- Yaya wondered where they'd come up with that stupid saying, anyway. To Yaya, jealousy was red, like the color her memories were every time she thought back to the way Sei held Tsubomi, offered to kiss her goodnight…

"Um…Yaya-sempai?"

Yaya was jerked from her thoughts to find Tsubomi staring at her with a considerable amount of concern. "What, pinky?"

Tsubomi looked at Yaya with disbelief, confusing the older girl. "You _growled_," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't know that."

Quickly covering up her surprise, Yaya grinned and leaned well into Tsubomi's personal space, closer than Sei had ever gotten. _It _better _be closer than she's ever gotten… _"I think after more than a year, you should know," she began, "that I'm just _that _sexy."

Tsubomi threw up her arms and let out a loud groan. "Whatever, baka," she cried as she stormed out of the room.

Yaya grinned, waiting until the door slammed shut behind Tsubomi to sigh and lie down on the bed, arms poised behind her head.

She really had to find a way to get Tsubomi away from Sei before it drove her insane.

**PGBR**

Across the campus, Satou Sei suddenly sneezed, blinking in slight shock before her trademark smirk made its way back onto her face. _Someone must be talking about me… _Judging from the way she'd just seen Tsubomi storm past, she could make a pretty good guess as to who it was, too.

"What are you doing in here?"

Sei glanced up, her face blank for a second, just as it had been the night before. Then she grinned at the Miator president and shrugged. "I guess my resume impressed the head sister," she said, "because she wants me to train to become the Spica-kaichou after Toumori-san leaves this next year." Sei didn't include the fact that she'd approached the sister with this false proposition just to get closer to this girl who reminded her so much of a friend who felt like something more. "And who knows," she added, "maybe politics won't be the only thing I learn." With a lightning quick, practiced once over and wink, Satou Sei had the indomitable Rokujou Miyuki blushing like a first year.

A slam of the door startled both girls, though Sei's expression quickly turned sly as her gaze found Toumori Shion wearing a her usual scowl as a poor attempt to disguise the green glint in her violet eyes. "I suppose it's useless to ask, but I will anyway," she said, her glare fixed on Sei. "Why are you here, Satou-san?"

Grinning winsomely, Sei flashed a somewhat concerned Miyuki a reassuring wink, watching Shion out of the corner of her eye. The Spican president twitched, her hands clenching, and Sei realized that Shion was one of the types to wear their emotions on their sleeves. "Where there is a beautiful woman, there is a way," she said with a smug smile directed at the fuming president. "Perhaps you're familiar with the concept; however, if you are…" She paused, purposefully looking to Miyuki before looking back to Shion, "I think you need a lesson on how to make yourself appealing to women in the first place. You have the looks for it, other than being a bit on the short side, that is." She eyed Shion appreciatively- she w_as _a pretty girl. Shion folded her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at Sei, and the former Rose realized she'd hit a nerve. Vaguely she wondered whether the broken-looking Miyuki made it a point to lean on those that were stronger physically. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing had happened. "But you obviously lack training in any sort of affection."

Miyuki's eyes widened just a small amount at this- she wasn't stupid, far from it. She knew there was something off ever since Shion snapped at Sei the night before, and now it was almost as if the two were…fighting over her? Her heart leapt at the prospect, but she shoved the feeling back. As much as she'd love to leap into warm, protective arms, the only feeling she'd ever associated with love was the pain of heartbreak. A wry smile graced her features- how perfect, then, that after this year, she would enter a relationship that would rely only on physical contact. Slipping seamlessly back into the council room, she looked up just in time to see Shion's body coiling, readying for another attack.

"Perhaps we should just start the meeting," she said in a no-nonsense voice. Both girls backed down into their seats, Sei wearing that same smug smile, and Shion looking surprisingly adorable with a large pout and furrowed brow. "The president of Lulim, Minamoto-san, is in bed with the flu from what I hear. So…" Here she let out a large sigh, knowing that Chikaru was basically the only thing that kept every meeting from turning into World War III. And that was it, wasn't it? How could she believe in Shion's feelings when the blonde had only ever shown her anger and contempt? "I suppose we should just continue on without her."

"There's really nothing to discuss," Sei pointed out after an awkward silence, earning a glare from Shion. "What?"

Shion huffed. "There is always something to discuss. The progress of the Etoile elections-"

"But the school year's just begun!"

"-school funding-"

"Have you _seen _the way some of these girls act? There's no shortage of money, I'm sure!"

"-_please _stop interrupting me," Shion growled, eyes flashing menacingly at Sei, who had somehow maneuvered herself closer to a somewhat amused Miyuki. Shion's expression softened, hoping the girl was amused at the conversation, and not pleased at how much attention she was getting from Sei. "As I was saying…"

Finding Shion's strong, determined voice strangely soothing, Miyuki's mind started to wander for once, knowing Shion's main fight today would be with Sei.

The feeling she got when she began to comprehend the situation hadn't confused her at all- she wouldn't lie. It was uplifting, like an hallelujah chorus to her lonely heart. But if she let her heart have what it wanted, she wasn't sure it could survive another break. And what did it want, anyway? There was no doubt that either of the girls were extremely attractive, Shion especially, though it pained her to admit it. While both were strong, determined types, Sei seemed more playful and less sure of herself than Shion. It wasn't like she couldn't handle the flirting, but selfishly, Miyuki needed stability right now, something that she knew full-well was impossible. What she really wanted was someone who would stand up to her parents and refuse to allow her to be sold off to the highest bidder. Someone who could support her when her parents scratched her from their will; someone who would be happy with _her_, not just her money.

Miyuki sighed- she wasn't stupid. She knew it was impossible, but was it so wrong to dream of her Prince Charming, just like every other girl in the world?

She was so caught up in her depressive realizations that she didn't notice the concerned look in a pair of violet eyes belonging to a girl who had long-since stopped talking.


	3. Fall For You

**Hey guys! Here's a semi-early chapter because I'm going to be in Boston for a week and may or may not have Wifi. If I don't, though, I'll be working on this while I'm there and post when I get back, so just please keep reviewing! =)**

**Oh. My. God. I almost wanted to post this chapter even earlier because I just read "My Immortal", aka the Worst Fanfic Ever out of curiosity and just…oh my god. Think of any clichéd trope of bad fanfiction and multiply it by ten. I mean, the OCs NAME is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. No lie. **

**Basically, this 'goffik' girl butchers and slashes her way through the English language as well as the magnificently written Harry Potter series and rips the both of them to bloody tatters. Not to MENTION the ongoing drama between herself and her friend over posters and sweaters and the heated arguments between herself and the 'preps', 'faggots' and 'posers' who flamed her story. Let's just say if JK Rowling ever read it, it'd give her a heart attack. This girl slashes herself with every male character in Hogwarts (yes, including staff), and every other scene involves 'Enoby' or the author slashing her wrists and, on one memorable occasion, trying to stab herself with a steak. I WISH that was a typo. I WISH I could tell you it wasn't true, but this atrocious abomination to modern literature is very, very real, and can be found easily on a google search for "Worst Fanfic". To understand how magnificently rotten this fic is, you'd just have to read it yourself. **

**Basic summary? Ebony 'Enoby' Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way makes Isabella Swan look like Miss Congeniality. **

**Scary, amirite?**

**ANYWAY. If you're real bored sometime and feeling down on your writing and are prepared to lose a few brain cells (and if you're in need of a good laugh), look it up on google- I found a site that still hosted it pretty easily. There is also a comic parody of the first 3 chapters written by someone she pissed off in real life. There are also various parodies and dramatic readings.**

**Just felt the need to share the love.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?**

**Chapter Three: If I Fall**

Yaya could have skipped- in fact she did, grabbing a squawking Tsubomi by the hand and skipping all the way to choir practice with the raging tsundere in toll.

Sei hadn't been within her line of sight since she left Yaya's dorm five hours ago, and she was fairly certain that Tsubomi hadn't seen her either, given the fact that Tsubomi had all third year classes. It was a small victory, because it was only about one o'clock, but Yaya was so tired of watching Tsubomi fawn all over some blonde Casanova that she could have been assigned three extra weeks' French homework and accept it happily.

Okay, maybe reluctantly. But she'd actually do it.

"Let me go, Yaya-sempai!" Tsubomi cried for the fifteenth time, and this time her wish was granted as the two reached the choir room. "What's your problem?"

"What do you mean?" Yaya asked, throwing an arm over Tsubomi's shoulders.

"You're acting weirder than usual," Tsubomi muttered, a blush darkening her pale features. But she didn't shove Yaya's arm away, even when it slipped to rest around her waist. When they entered the chapel, Yaya's arm slipped away and she immediately missed the warmth, but soon realized that everyone was seated on the pews.

"Great," Yaya mumbled beside her. "It's lesson day." She glanced around behind her before taking a casual step backwards. "I guess I'll see you at dinner then…"

"Nice try, Yaya-sempai," Tsubomi stated, grabbing onto Yaya's uniform and pulling her back towards the front of the chapel. "You're not skipping and leaving me here."

Instantly Yaya perked up, liking the sound of that last bit, and allowed herself to be half-guided, half-dragged to a pew with a few open spaces. Slipping in beside Tsubomi, Yaya quickly zoned out when the teacher began talking. _I wonder if Tsubomi really _likes _Sei-_sempai_? I mean, I know she makes her nervous but…what if she likes her for more than that? What if my Tsubomi-chan falls for that stupid playgirl?_

The possessive pronoun didn't bother Yaya in the least- she tended to be quite possessive of certain friends, like Hikari and Tsubomi. And she knew what it meant, too- she wasn't entirely comfortable with her feelings for Tsubomi just yet, but she might not have more time before Sei decided to completely steal her away. Glancing around and noticing that several girls were holding hands, even resting their heads on each others' laps, Yaya threw an arm over Tsubomi's shoulder with the utmost nonchalance, pulling the pinkette to her so that her head was resting on Yaya's chest. There wasn't much she had that Sei didn't, but when she spotted an advantage, you could be damn sure she was going to take it.

Tsubomi blushed furiously when she felt Yaya's arm around her, and contemplated doing the right thing- calling the older girl out and forcing her to let go. But she hadn't been getting much sleep lately, even with the arrival of Sei. Her feelings for Yaya were only growing stronger as she realized how it felt to be truly wanted by someone, and how it might feel to be wanted by someone she wanted back, and she often couldn't sleep because of it. So she relaxed slightly in the embrace, eventually allowing her hand to rest on Yaya's free hand, loving the feeling of the warm skin beneath hers. It was a dangerous position- it was a position of two lovers, and Tsubomi was well aware that it was something she and Yaya were not. But maybe, just maybe, if she showed Yaya what loving her could be like…maybe things could change.

For her part, Yaya felt the hand on hers and flipped her hand so that she could intertwine their fingers. She wasn't entirely certain what to do or how deep her feelings ran, but she knew that she had feelings for Tsubomi, and she wasn't about to lose her just because she didn't know how strong they were. She was definitely planning to make Tsubomi her own; how she would do it was the real question. But for now, she figured that acting more coupley would not only avert Sei's affection, but possibly warm Tsubomi up to the idea of dating her instead. She let out a long, content sigh through her nose and leaned back, causing the pinkette to fall back onto her chest with an almost inaudible squeak. Yaya ran the hand that was holding onto Tsubomi through the pink locks in a reassuring gesture, and soon felt the pinkette relax once again, gripping her hand just that little bit tighter.

**PGBR**

Miyuki was still in a different and altogether more depressing world when she left the council room, so much so that she literally ran into the person waiting for her. She stumbled slightly, but a pair of strong arms caught her and righted her easily, pushing her back slightly so that she was inside the council room once again. Looking up, her eyes widened in subdued surprise to see the Spican president staring at her with a slight scowl, her eyes and posture full of not-so-hidden concern.

"Did you need something from me, Toumori-san?" she asked coolly, inwardly wincing at how empty her voice sounded.

Shion stood before her, arms folded over her chest and back leaning against the door, but there was something in her posture that Miyuki did not recognize. She wasn't tense or rigid like she always was in the past, and she was gazing up at Miyuki with what an onlooker may have described as apathy. But Miyuki recognized the emotion as concern, and the stance as…submissive? She realized where this stance might be something she would expect of Shion, but not in the current situation. She could feel her face heating up and her hands start to twitch at her sides, causing her to fold them tightly to her chest. Shion's posture could be apologetic, but Miyuki couldn't think of anything she needed to apologize for…and then it hit her.

It was a lover's stance.

After realizing that Miyuki wasn't going to say anything, Shion bit her lip and stood up slightly straighter. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice an octave lower than usual, so that the blunt question came out as more of a comfort than anything else. "I've never seen you…leave like that."

"I'm fine," Miyuki said sharply, causing Shion to wince visibly. Guilt poured into the Miator president almost immediately- the proud, lion-like Spican was being vulnerable for her sake, and she had just bit her head off for something she couldn't control. She sighed. "Just thinking."

Shion nodded slowly. "About what?" she asked after a moment, hesitating as if she wasn't sure it was within her rights to ask. Then her face turned sour not a second later, causing Miyuki to blink, wondering if she'd missed something. "Not that delinquent?"

For a moment, Miyuki thought she was talking about Shizuma before she realized that Shion was referring to Sei. She almost wanted to laugh at the amount of scorn the Spican showed for Sei, but the rapid pounding of her heart prevented it. "No, not Satou-san," she said firmly, a smile teasing at the corner of her lips when Shion visibly relaxed and smiled sheepishly up at her, as if she'd been caught. For a moment, Miyuki was stunned speechless- she'd never seen Shion smile for real, and she was absolutely mesmerized by the sight. Those violet eyes twinkled and her lips curled just barely, a couple of pearly white teeth peeking out from beneath her upper lip, and the sight filled Miyuki with an emotion that she hadn't felt since she'd first come to Miator and had been taken in by Shizuma. Safety. At the sight of Shion's imploring eyes, she suddenly realized that the Spican wanted more. "Just…I'm sure you know of my situation," she continued, her joy fading back to bitter acceptance. "I'm to be married off to a man twice my age the minute I leave Astraea Hill. I was just thinking about…" She paused, realizing she'd never opened up to anyone like this before- what was she doing trusting the one girl who'd played her foil since grade school.

The right thing, she hoped.

"I was just thinking about how different it's going to be," she finally said. "Going from the top of the school to the bottom of the social world- it's a little bit disconcerting."

Shion nodded slowly, and Miyuki saw that her jaw was clenched, as if she were trying very hard not to say anything. As usual, though, it didn't work. "But you're better than that," she said, sounding as if she were confused by the very prospect. "You know that. You better." Miyuki smiled slightly when some of the trademark frown appeared on Shion's face. "Not only are you brilliant, but you're kind and loyal- to a fault, sometimes, with that baka-hentai of an Etoile. You're more clever than you ever let on- I know you're more upset about what's going to happen then you'll ever say. And…you're beautiful." The last word slipped from her lips like a question. "You're the most beautiful girl and you could do so much better than this. What are you so afraid of? What could possibly be worth spending life with someone you don't love, knowing that you could be waking up every day beside someone who'd treat you like the princess you are?"

And there it was- Miyuki felt herself falling and she needed to regain control, and fast. Shion's words were sweet and encouraging, but in the end, she couldn't change the situation. Shion didn't know her father. All Shion was was an outsider looking in. "Like who?" she finally managed, her voice coming out more choked than she meant it to. And then, out of some twisted, masochistic part of her, her next words erupted. "Satou-san? She seems to be the only person interested in me at the moment."

And there it was- she didn't know why she'd said it- didn't know why she'd suddenly wanted to hear the words that she knew wouldn't come…

"NO!"

Miyuki actually jumped this time, her books dropping quickly from her arms. But the positively enraged expression Shion was wearing made her forget about them completely. "No, I _don't _mean Satou-san! But would you like that?" she asked, her voice breaking, and Miyuki was suddenly at a loss for words, never having seen Shion break down like this. "Would you like it to be her? I'm sure she'd appreciate you and shower you in affection. She doesn't have some kind of condition that makes it impossible to be halfway civil to the person she cares about, after all." The Spican laughed bitterly, though it came out as more of a cough. "No, Miyuki, I meant..." she trailed off, her fingers pressing against her temples.

"Whoever you meant, it's impossible," Miyuki said once it became apparent that Shion wasn't going to continue. She felt horrible, her suspicions now all but confirmed about Shion's feelings for her- worse even, the fact that all she wanted to do was fall into her arms. "What you said…about being with someone I love…no matter who it is, it's impossible, even if they love me back. I'm trapped- I have been since the day we met in grade school."

"You're never trapped, Miyuki," Shion said softly, once again dropping the suffix, stepping far too close, and staying far too far away all at once. "There's always a way out."

"Not without losing everything," Miyuki stated bitterly. "I'll be scratched from the will and cut off financially. My father will see to it that I don't find work. There's nothing I can do."

She met Shion's eyes with a stare of her own this time, waiting for the Spican's response. "Then maybe," Shion finally said, taking another step so that she was close enough to feel the brush of Miyuki's soft skin against her own, "you should stop trying to do everything yourself."

Their lips were only millimeters apart, and Miyuki, oddly enough, realized that despite being rather vertically challenged, Shion stood about an inch taller than her. Funny, that.

And then the Spican had closed the distance between them, one hand instantly pressed protectively against the small of Miyuki's back, the other poised around the back of her neck, her thumb stroking Miyuki's jaw with a gentle pressure.

Miyuki felt every last breath being forcibly sucked from her system and pooling in her stomach as Shion's lips pressed against her own. A warm, electric shiver ran down her spine, and without quite meaning to do it, she found herself winding her arms around the Spican's neck tightly, pulling her closer. Shion pulled away for a half second, allowing their noses to brush together as she took a shuddering breath. Before she had a chance to recuperate, Miyuki had pulled her back into another long, desperate kiss spiked with lust, their tongues clashing together, fighting for dominance.

Finally, Shion took it upon herself to pull away, remembering suddenly that they were in the council room of all places. After a moment, she opened her mouth to say something to Miyuki, and realized that the Miator girl looked absolutely horrified.

_Ohshit._

Knowing exactly what was coming next (the inevitable heel-face turn), she stood and stepped closer to Miyuki. Who took a step back. And then there was the head-shaking and the tears pooling at the corners of the dark eyes, and Shion felt her heart breaking in her chest as Miyuki turned and ran out of the room.

After watching her leave, Shion knelt in a disembodied way and picked up Miyuki's belongings.

"She'll never let anyone love her until she realizes that there really is a way out."

Shion jumped at the voice, her instinct causing her to turn and glare in the direction of the husky voice. Chuckling softly, Shizuma stepped forward and reached out to pluck Miyuki's books from her hands, but Shion jerked away, clutching the items to her chest. "I can deliver them," she all but spat at the girl she knew still held Miyuki's broken heart.

Shizuma stepped back, hands up in submission. "I'm just trying to help," she said truthfully. "Miyuki is my best friend, and I do love her, even if it's not the way she wished I did." She sighed when the Spican's glare only deepened. "You have to show her that she doesn't have to live a loveless lie. You have to show her that things can change; that _you _can change them for her."

Shion frowned slightly, realizing that she'd have to trust Shizuma for once, as unreliable as she way. "How?" she asked.

Shizuma smirked. "You're loaded, right? Father's a top-notch lawyer and Mother owns the biggest fashion enterprise in all of Japan, correct?"

"…yes…," Shion replied slowly, wondering if Shizuma wanted a bribe.

As if reading her mind, Shizuma laughed. "I don't need money," she said with a shrug. "I'm actually doing this just for Miyuki's sake, believe it or not. Anyway, you need to know that the only reason this marriage is happening is because Miyuki's father gambled away the majority of their funds. At this point, it hardly matters who Miyuki goes to as long as they've got the money to back it up. And I guaran-fucking-te you're richer than any other sad son-of-a-bitch those bastard parents of hers can come up with." Shion's eyes widened with hope as she realized what Shizuma was saying, then she frowned slightly. The last thing she wanted was to force Miyuki to love her. "And," Shizuma said, reading her mind again, "as soon as the deal's done and they get the dowry, Miyuki belongs to you. _Whatever _you want to do with her. Including letting her go." She shrugged slightly. "But do what you like- after all, who would listen to a baka-hentai like myself?"

She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Shion standing in the dark room by herself, her lip caught between her teeth.


	4. Everything I'm Not

**I'm back with another chapter y'all! (I've just been watching Paula Dean on the Food Network xD)**

**A/N: Has anyone else ever burned the roof of their mouth? Like, I was eating a frozen dinner and it got stuck on the roof of my mouth for five seconds, and then I got this huge blister, and it popped and now my mouth hurts like a mother every time I try to eat something =( Which sucks because I totally just bought the best Cheezits ever.**

**Thank you much for all the reviews! This is kind of a crap chapter for Shion/Miyuki, just because I'm paving the way for a serious angsty/jealous chapter for them, so I'm sorry about that =( I didn't think it would make sense for Shion just to explode about it or anything, though she came pretty damn close. We'll be seeing things from her POV next chapter. I had to start with Miyuki's just because hers was kind of repetitive and boring, but I had to write it anyway. I'm also trying to figure out a great way for Yaya/Tsubomi to happen, but as some of you may or may not be aware, these things are not my specialty. Please keep reviewing- it's what keeps me posting.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?**

**Chapter Four: Everything I'm Not**

"SO, apparently Tsubomi-chan's a cuddle monster or something!"

"Shut _up_, baka!" the pink-faced pinkette snapped. "You started it anyway. I probably couldn't have gotten away even if I'd tried with your humongous weight holding me down."

Tamao watched the exchange, sweatdropping as she poured their tea. "I'm sure it wasn't anyone's fault," she said quietly, but quickly shrunk back when the full force of both Yaya and Tsubomi's glares hit her. Hikari shot her an apologetic look; she had a feeling that this overdose of PDA that was causing the fight in the first place was very much Yaya's fault. Though she'd only known Yaya for a little more than a year, she knew her best friend preferred to speak through actions rather than words. Her affection with Tsubomi around Sei was probably meant to say what she herself could not.

Speaking of Sei…Hikari hadn't seen her all day. She _had _seen a feral-looking Shion stalking the halls for unsuspecting prey, though, so Sei had to be somewhere on campus. But where-

"I can't believe you didn't invite me to your party, Hikari-chaaaan!"

Blushing, Hikari faced her grinning cousin with an apologetic look. "Sorry…it's kind of a tradition and I just didn't think about it."

"Ah well, as long as I get to sit with my Tsubomi-chaaan!" Sei crooned, making a beeline for Tsubomi. Nagisa just looked confused, while both Tamao and Hikari were wincing in anticipation. A second before Sei would have collided with the blushing pinkette, Yaya deftly swung herself around to the other side of Tsubomi, thrusting an arm over her shoulders and effectively blocking Sei off. "No fair…" Sei whined convincingly. Hikari suspected she really was a little bit disappointed, and apparently Yaya picked up on that too. Inside, though, Sei was rubbing her hands together in glee. _So this girl's the kind of girl who won't just sit there and glare, _she thought smugly. Yaya had struck her as that type since the moment Sei arrived at the school, but now that her suspicions were confirmed, she felt extremely pleased with herself. _Ah, but there's more_, she thought, her eyes once again focusing on the two girl's in front of her. They were better than daytime television, these two.

"What's your problem?" Tsubomi finally managed to stutter, ducking away from Yaya's possessive arm. "Weren't you _just _accusing me of PDA or whatever you called me?"

"I called you a cuddle monster, because you _are_," Yaya shot back, stubbornly holding on. "I wasn't getting mad at you or _accusing _you of anything, except maybe enjoying it too much." She added the last part in with a wink and a quick appraisal of Tsubomi's body, earning her a smack to the back of her head. "Oww…"

"Baka hentai!"

Sei watched, slightly amused as the feud went on. The look on Yaya's face stopped her cold, however; she'd seen that look before. The grin, the wink, the pretending everything's fine even though it's damn well _not_…she'd seen that face countless times, everywhere she looked. In the pool, in the fountain…in the mirror… She really hoped Yaya realized how much Tsubomi adored her, and soon,

because the girl with the wide, bright smile was resilient to everything except a broken heart. She'd make Tsubomi the center of her universe and if she ever lost her, it would be like the sun exploded, leaving everything in ruins. According to Hikari, the only reason the Yaya she was seeing existed was that Tsubomi was there to pick of the pieces. Sei didn't want to think about what would happen if Yaya's one constant left her behind. Suddenly she realized that the argument had died down, and silence had taken over the small room as a pair of heels clacked down the hallway.

"Damn," Yaya muttered, only to be smacked by Tsubomi. "_What_?"

"Cursing isn't ladylike!"

Yaya scoffed before continuing. "They're doing double guard duty tonight. Someone probably did something really bad last night or something," she said with a sigh.

"So…"

The amber-eyed girl shot Sei a withering look so poisonous that Sei felt her insides corrode just a little bit. "So we're stuck here. All night."

Tamao bit her lip. "Well, since we don't have as many people as usual…," she began, calculating in her head. "Nagisa-chan and I can share a bed- if it's okay with her." The poet flushed bright red the way only Nagisa could make her. The red-head in question shot her a brilliant smile.

"Of course it's okay, Tamao-chan!"

"R-right," Tamao stuttered, trying desperately to recover gracefully. Yaya cocked an eyebrow, her arm still draped over Tsubomi. "And Sei-san, you can talk with the others to decide where you want to sleep."

Instantly Sei's eyes shot towards Tsubomi just as Hikari bit her lip, not knowing how far to push the situation before it was considered too far. "I call Tsubomi-chaaaan!" she cried joyously, wrapping the pinkette in her arms.

"You damn well do not," Yaya shot back, prying Sei away from Tsubomi with fiery eyes. The pinkette turned and shot her a venomous glare. "Oh, what now? You _want _to sleep with this hentai?"

"One hentai for another seems like a good trade," Tsubomi huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "And besides, at least _that _hentai appreciates me." She pursed her lips, her eyes focused on the floor. "And wouldn't you rather sleep with Hikari-sempai anyway?"

Yaya was speechless for a moment, and Sei took that time to flop back on the bed across from Nagisa and Tamao, dragging Tsubomi with her. "Well, that's settled then," she stated, stretching her arms lazily.

As if the words brought her back to life, Yaya stood and pulled Tsubomi away from Sei. "No, it's not," she spat, one arm looped over Tsubomi's waist as if to hold her still. "Sleep with Hikari- you're her cousin, so it doesn't matter if you perv on her."

"Yaya-_sempai_!"

Tsubomi wasn't as angry as she was shocked- she'd never heard Yaya be so careless about Hikari's safety. Granted, Sei _was _related to her, and they were already sharing a room, but…for Yaya to choose her over Hikari…her heart swelled with a hope that she'd been trying so desperately to repress for the past year. "C'mon, Tsu-bo-mi- we can take the floor."

"Okay- wait, what?"

**PGBR**

Tsubomi puffed out her cheeks, and then was overcome by a vague despondence, realizing that no one could see her disapproval. She'd been rolling around on the floor since she'd woken up at one a.m., unable to get comfortable on the rough wood. Yaya seemed to be absolutely at home, her arms spread out behind her head, sprawled out in an altogether unladylike manner that Tsubomi would usually have frowned upon, but in the dead of night, no one was there to call her for smiling down at the adorable sight.

"'s late, Tsu-bo-mi-chaaaaan." Tsubomi started as a pair of sleepy amber eyes blinked up at her. "Why aren't you 'sleep?"

Fighting back the urge to giggle at Yaya's sleep-stunted vocabulary, Tsubomi lay back down, her back to Yaya. "I just woke up," she replied quietly. "I think maybe I should have taken Sei up on her offer. Oh, wait- that's right, I didn't have a _choice_!"

She heard Yaya scoff, and there was a vague rustling sound before she felt a strong arm pull her directly on top of the older girl. "What are you _doing_?" she hissed, glad Yaya couldn't see the red in her cheeks. "Baka- I'll crush you!"

Another scoff. "You'd have to gain another two hundred pounds to do that," Yaya mumbled, "now shuddup 'n sleep."

Tsubomi huffed, remaining in her awkward position until she heard Yaya's breathing slow. Then slowly she adjusted herself so that her left arm was wrapped around Yaya's shoulders from behind, her right placed just over Yaya's collarbone. With the sleep distorting her thoughts, she couldn't see the point in keeping up with her façade at the moment. With blurred vision, she watched as her hand rose and fell with the older girl's breathing before sleep quickly claimed her as well.

**PGBR**

Yaya awoke the next morning to the sensation of light, quiet breathing and a heavy weight, warm weight on her chest, a ticklish feeling at her chin. Blinking the light from her eyes, she glanced down to see Tsubomi draped over her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around Yaya's form and her legs tangled with the older girl's. She was still dead asleep, and would every so often snuggle deeper into the crook of Yaya's neck.

A flash of light blinded Yaya for a second time, and she shook her head before glancing up to find a grinning Sei (whom she glared at for no particular reason other than existing), a guilty-looking Tamao holding a camera, a squealing Nagisa, and a very ecstatic Hikari. "You're all too happy," she observed. "You need another few hours of sleep." With that, she wrapped both arms around Tsubomi and rolled onto her side, burying her face in the pinkette's fine hair.

**PGBR**

After waking up in Nagisa and Tamao's dorm, Sei made her way down to breakfast, still groggy from sleep. In fact, she almost walked right into one person, and probably would have, too, except the person spoke at the last moment, causing her to veer towards a wall, only to be pulled back by a pair of dainty hands.

"Are you alright?" Miyuki asked, looking extremely concerned; Sei couldn't blame her. She always looked a sight in the mornings, and the fact that this was a boarding school meant she had to do it in public. "Satou-san?"

Sei grinned sleepily. "Call me Sei-chaaan," she said with practiced ease, winking at Miyuki for good measure. _They_ were so alike…she could see herself falling for this girl.

"Satou-san!"

She groaned internally. _If she was ever _allowed _to, that is…_

"Hey, kaichou-sama," she said, turning to Shion with a grin and a lazy salute. A pair of violet eyes narrowed even further, and Sei grabbed Miyuki's wrist, pulling her towards the dining room.

Shion stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What do you think you're doing?" she practically snarled. Sei felt Miyuki tense behind her and realized that something must have happened. Even though Yaya/Tsubomi mimicked Sachiko/Yumi in its nature, Shion was much more like the temperamental heiress than Yaya was. After any kind of event with Yumi, Sachiko would always be significantly more possessive for a good week or so, and Shion was simply _radiating _Sachiko at the moment.

Sei instantly adopted what she liked to call her 'Sachiko-mode', aka, 'piss Sachiko (or Shion, in this case) off as much as possible for no good reason other than a good laugh'. "Well, I _thought _I was escorting this lovely lady to breakfast," Sei said smoothly, her hand easily finding Miyuki's lower back, noting the way Shion's fists clenched tightly enough to draw blood. "A perfectly good reason, wouldn't you agree?"

Eyes flashing, the Spican president looked as if she was ready to fight, and Sei, for the first time, wondered if it had been a good idea to pick a fight with a true Spican- notoriously proud and territorial. "Don't touch her," she growled, taking a step towards Sei. Despite being several inches shorter than the other blonde, the fire in her eyes almost made Sei take a step back. Beside her, Miyuki watched the scene with a kind of twisted interest.

There was no way two girls- two confident, beautiful, determined girls could be fighting over _Miyuki _when her own family wouldn't even want her if she weren't pretty enough to fetch a nice dowry. Realizing suddenly that the situation could escalate if no one intervened, Miyuki stepped between the two girls, instantly causing Shion to back down, the fire in her eyes dimmed, but still spitting. "Stop it," she said quietly but firmly, staring directly into the violet eyes that now held what should have been an illegal amount of hurt. Shion was her exact opposite; where Miyuki was quiet and stealthy, Shion was loud and brash. Where Miyuki was the follower, Shion was the leader. And where Miyuki could easily hide her emotions behind a mask of glass, Shion wore her heart on her sleeve. "Please."

Shion's lips parted as if to say something more, but she seemed to decide against it, instead fixing Sei with one last, half-hearted glare before retreating into the dining room. Miyuki felt her heart break in her chest; who was this girl to enter her life as a ticking time bomb and suddenly be completely devoted to her ten years later? And it wasn't as if Miyuki was doing something wrong; on the contrary, she was sparing Shion's heart.

Miyuki sighed and rubbed her temple with her fingertips. Raising her eyebrows, Sei glanced down at her. "Did something happen?" she asked carefully, eyes trailing the Spican's fiery path. "She seemed kind of…"

"Angry? Annoyed?" Miyuki asked, slowly walking towards the dining room.

Sei shrugged. "I was gonna say territorial. You know, like a German Shepard or something," she said casually, noting the way Miyuki tensed again. She fixed Miyuki with a steady stare until the Miator president sighed and turned to face her.

"Yesterday," she began hesitantly, as if she didn't know where she was going with her words, "she waited for me after the meeting. She was worried about me and she…she kissed me." Miyuki's voice trailed off, her eyes dazed slightly with what Sei recognized as a kind of shocked joy.

Inside, Sei sighed- she should have known better than to assume she had a chance with this girl. Miyuki needed a hero.

So had Shiori.

And Sei was anything but.

Looking into those sad brown eyes, she realized that the most she could do was help Miyuki be happy with someone who could save her. "And then…"

"And then…" Miyuki replied slowly, "and then…I ran."

"You ran?" Sei asked slowly. "No wonder she was so jealous," she murmured to herself, watching as Miyuki bit the corner of her lip.

"What do you mean?" Miyuki asked.

Sei shrugged. "She reminds me of someone I used to know, kind of like you," she said. "Someone I used to mess with because of how easily she got jealous. She had someone…her petite soeur, kind of like a little sister…and she had the hardest time letting her emotions show through the way they're supposed to. She'd always replace them with anger or annoyance, and then got jealous when I'd show her the love she wanted to." Sei smiled fondly. "Sound like someone you know?"

Miyuki nodded slowly. "And…is that what you think was wrong?" she asked quietly. Sei frowned slightly. She was so used to being shrugged off; so used to being unwanted that she couldn't believe someone might actually want her. "Don't get me wrong…I know she likes me…but I don't…I don't want to hurt her." Her eyes dimmed and lowered to the ground. "I know what it feels like to be led on, and I was smart enough not to let it go farther then…I don't think Shion understands."

"Shizuma?" Sei asked, her eyebrow raised. Miyuki nodded. "Right, well, I think Shion does understand. I think she just wants you to realize that you're not chained to this man."

Miyuki scoffed. "But I _am_," she said bitterly. "I have been since I first arrived at Astraea Hill. It's not like I'm going to be horribly disappointed with whoever he is, because it's not like I didn't know this was coming. And Shion knows it too." She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes darting to the floor like they always would when she was trying to distance herself from her emotions. "There's no reason for her to suddenly start caring _now_."

Sei shrugged, her gaze flickering to the dining room, easily pinpointing a glaring Shion from just a few meters away. "Then talk to her about it," she said, "I've never understood why girls need to be so complicated. Anyway, whatever you do, you need to at least explain it to her soon. I don't want to be on the receiving end of it when she finally loses it."

Miyuki looked like she wanted to argue, but her eyes followed Sei and she caught the look Shion was shooting the other girl. "Okay," she said resignedly, brushing past Sei and into the dining hall, taking her place beside Chikaru, who was, miraculously, once again at perfect health. She shot the Le Rim president a suspicious look, to which Chikaru returned a plucky smile. Beside Chikaru on her other side, Shion's violet eyes followed Miyuki in a way that the Spican president probably thought was discreet.

Miyuki just shook her head and tried to ignore both the look of intense hurt that Shion sent her as well as the vaguely disappointed look from Sei.

She couldn't do it. It would be better to run away now and live a safe life with a man she could possibly learn to love than to fall for another person she couldn't trust.


	5. If You Love Her

**So I've randomly gotten into the mood to write some Chikaru/Shion again =P Obviously that won't be happening in THIS story, but I was thinking maybe posting another story here as well…I tried a Chikaru/Shion a while back but…that didn't go very far =P**

**Really, I'd write a Chikaru/Anyone (except Shizuma, Amane, and probably Miyuki) at this point =P I just have to think of a plot…something which many people seem to think is optional on FFn xP Any opinions?**

**Also, I have this super weird desire to put Momomi into a relationship that would require her to be the seme or the 'top'…like one of the younger girls (as in younger than Kaname and Shizuma and all them)…I can imagine that no one would read that though xD**

**I just love her for some reason…it's like, she's kind of evil, but she actually has the potential to fall in love and be loyal to that love…I'm sorry, I just don't like Kaname. So that fic would probably be the epic-est of fails xD**

**Anyway, opinions on my next idea, por favor! I hate the idea of this area dying, so I'm trying to save it! That and I have no life =P**

**Also in this chapter- a major plot movement ZOMG! Anyway, I just want to know how you think I handled the scene, and if I wrote it realistically. You kind of have to have been in the situation before to really understand how to write it- you should've read some of my work before I'd had my first kiss xD (really wasted that, too…) I've been in a similar situation, but it's hard to write out physical sensations, if you know what I mean. So yeah- opinions and more opinions would be lovely, and as always, please review or I won't be motivated to write anymore =P**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?**

**Chapter Five: If You Love Her (Let Her Go)**

It was almost painful for Shion to sit through the student council meeting- even with a calmly smiling Chikaru at her side, her eyes were glued to the scene a few seats away.

Miyuki was sitting in her usual seat, arms folded over her chest as the head sister addressed the council. However, this time, Sei's arm was flung haphazardly over her shoulder, almost as if…her jaw tightened, and she could taste a hint of metallic blood.

"Toumori-san?"

Shion didn't even look up at the sound of her name, but turned her head towards the direction of the sister's voice, her eyes still glued to Sei and Miyuki. "Yes, Head Sister?"

"Did you have an entry for Spica's Etoile candidate this year?"

Shion shook her head. "Not at the moment, though we are looking for suitable candidates." In all honesty, she hadn't given it a second thought, which in itself was very unlike her. In previous years, it had seemed like the most important thing in the world, but now…now they only had one year left. One year left to tie up everything they'd begun at Astraea Hill…one year to make up for ten years of misguided rivalry…one year to make Miyuki hers before she never saw her again. And damn it, Satou Sei was like terminal cancer to her plan. If she couldn't get rid of her, there was no moving forwards.

She caught Miyuki giving her an odd look and took the opportunity to shift her eyes towards Sei, asking a silent question. The flicker of coolness in those brown eyes just before Miyuki looked away hit her like a knife, but she swallowed back the pain and shifted her gaze to Sei. She couldn't give up so easily- she wouldn't.

The Head Sister finished her piece and left shortly after. Shion watched with gritted teeth as Sei stood and offered her hand to Miyuki, who took it all too gratefully for her liking. "Please, Satou-san," she managed to say through a fake, charming smile, "I'd like to have a moment with Miyuki." Her eyes darted to the tense girl to Sei's right. "_Alone_."

Sei grinned and nodded- she had another couple that was long overdue for some tension, after all.

Shion watched the other blonde saunter out before turning to Miyuki, her eyes begging the question she didn't want to voice. Miyuki pursed her lips and turned away from her. "Make it quick, Toumori-san," she said coolly. "I don't want to miss dinner."

"What's going on between you and Satou-san?" Shion asked, attempting to overlook the icy glare Miyuki was sending her and displaying a glare of her own, her arms folded over her chest. Miyuki looked away. "Is this how it's going to be, then? Pretend nothing happened and go off to her instead of talking to me about it?"

Miyuki shot her a venomous look. "Don't start that with me, Shion," she spat. The Spican gulped, but noted the use of her first name- at least they were getting somewhere, and she was too far gone to care if Miyuki was angry with her. She was about to lose the girl she'd loved for God knew how long to some womanizing new girl- Miyuki being upset with her was the last of her troubles. "If anything happened, it's because _you _started it."

"I started it, but _you _kissed me _back_," Shion growled, taking a step closer, causing Miyuki to bump into the table behind her.

"_Anybody would _under those circumstances," the Miator president hissed back, though her eyes portrayed her nervousness. "It's not as if you're some kind of hentai, Toumori-san- or at least, I didn't peg you for the type." Shion's upper lip curled and Miyuki smirked, taking the moment to push Shion back several steps. "When somebody even mildly attractive kisses you, it's instinct to kiss back, no?"

Torn between being offended and flattered, Shion just stood there speechless for a moment. Miyuki attempted to slip by her only to be caught by the wrist and spun around to face the Spican, who was less than an inch from her face.

"So," Shion began, her nose brushing against Miyuki's, breath dusting her lips, "if they kissed you again, you'd push them away, right?"

Miyuki could feel her heart racing in her ears- where did this Shion come from? Where was the brash, outspoken girl she'd met on her first day? Where was the girl who'd constantly sent Kaname and Momomi to deliberately destroy Miyuki's careful plans? Who was this girl that Shion became every time she was alone with her? "They should know better than to kiss me again," she finally said, pushing the Spican back and holding her there, keeping a safe distance between them. "They should know they'll just get hurt, considering they've known of the situation for _ten years._"

"Right," Shion replied quietly, gazing into Miyuki's eyes and slowly raising her hands, wrapping them around the bluenette's wrists. Gently, she pulled Miyuki's hands from their position against her chest and back down to her sides. "But maybe, having known you for ten years, they think they know you better than that."

In one swift movement, the Spican took a final step forward, pressing their bodies flush against each other and tilted her head, allowing their lips to meet. Her hands found the small of Miyuki's back and pulled her effortlessly closer, the fire inside of her purring at the feel of the other girl's arms tight around her shoulders. She easily lifted Miyuki onto the low rising council room table, stepping between her legs and pressing her hands to the Miator president's hips, never breaking the kiss. She'd let Miyuki go once- she wasn't about to do it again.

But all too soon, Miyuki's hands were pushing back against her shoulders. Desperately, she pressed forward again, but the other girl pulled away, ducking her head down to prevent Shion from continuing the kiss. "Miyuki…" Shion hated her voice for cracking the way it did- if there was anything she despised more than losing, it was losing her _control_. But she was so close to losing so much more…

"I told you," Miyuki said quietly, her eyes trailing the floor, "you're only going to get hurt."

"And you're not?" Shion asked in the same low tone, pressing her forehead to Miyuki's shoulder. "Tell me, Miyuki- does this really mean nothing to you?"

Miyuki sighed and hesitantly raised a hand to sink her fingers into the soft blonde hair of the Spican president. "Why couldn't you have stayed like you were?" she asked, smiling humorlessly. "Loud, unthinking…careful or you'll go soft."

She felt Shion smile into her shoulder. "I'll never go soft," she murmured into Miyuki's shoulder, causing the Miator president to swoon on the inside. "Miyuki…"

"Not now," Miyuki said quietly, her voice firm. "For now just…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Shion looked up and gazed into her eyes for a moment before brushing a strand of dark hair behind Miyuki's ear and leaning forward, pressing a kiss to the tip.

"For now," she replied quietly, "but not forever."

With those words, she buried her face into the nook between Miyuki's shoulder and neck and began to kiss the soft skin there, causing the other girl to sigh and grip her shoulders tightly. It wasn't what Miyuki had wanted to hear- Shion wasn't going to let her run forever. But tonight was enough for now, and she could worry about tomorrow later.

**PGBR**

Tsubomi sat in the large gazebo outside of Astraea Hill, her lip caught between her teeth in a little half-smile as she watched Nagisa and an exhausted Tamao practice lines for the school's newest play. Something told her that the actual play wouldn't be even half as entertaining as watching Nagisa practice for it. She did feel sorry for Tamao, however, unlike Yaya sitting beside her, who was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. On her other side, Hikari sighed and buried her face in her hands.

Several minutes of bad acting later, a sudden warmth appeared around her shoulders. Caught by surprise, her body didn't have time to resist the strong pull, and she got sucked headfirst into the warm body that owned the arm.

"Hey, how're my favorite cuties?"

Upon hearing the sound of Sei's voice, Tsubomi groaned, realizing whose arm it was around her shoulders. She hadn't quite figured out why, but every time Sei was around, Yaya suddenly rushed to create some kind of contact between them. It had gotten to the point that Tsubomi's heart would pick up speed at just the sight of the grinning blonde, knowing what was coming next. "Yaya-_sempai_," she muttered, realizing she'd stayed silent long enough, "let me _go_!" She shoved at the older girl's arm away and scooted a few feet to the left, batting away Yaya's attempt to reclaim her. She huffed and folded her arms over her chest, blushing heavily when she felt another pair of arms wrap tightly around her.

"Tsu-bo-mi-chaaan!" Sei cried, rubbing her face against Tsubomi's. "I've missed you so muuuch!" Beside them, Yaya growled.

"Why don't you keep your hands to yourself?" she asked lowly, one hand curving possessively around Tsubomi's thigh. "Or at least on Rokujou-san."

Sei sighed dramatically. "My dear Shion-chan took care of that," she said in mock depression, "I'm starting to think I'll never know what it's like to be loved."

"Not by Tsubomi, at least," Yaya muttered, not realizing that she'd spoken aloud until the pinkette in question shot her a death glare. "_What_?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, Yaya-baka," Tsubomi snapped, eyes flashing. She knew that Sei had been teasing Yaya- _knew _that Sei didn't care about her like that. But being in love with someone who could never love you back wasn't something that someone should be teased about. "Don't answer for me."

Sei watched with interest as the spit-fire she'd seen just a second ago was instantly put out, replaced by a slumping, sulking Yaya. She could tell that it took a lot to make an alpha-personality like Yaya back down, but the tone that Tsubomi had used with the brunette had instantly stopped her in her tracks. "Whatever," the brunette muttered, retracting her arm.

A frown marred Tsubomi's features at the loss of warmth, but she turned to Sei and smiled slightly. "I'm sure you'll find love, Sei-sempai," she said sweetly, though the smile was obviously forced.

Sei grinned and ruffled her hair. "Eventually, right?" She winked at the pinkette suggestively.

There was a sudden rustling noise, followed by the sound of loud stomping, and Tamao watched sadly as Yaya stormed away. Tsubomi was shocked- she had no idea why the older girl had left so suddenly, nor did she think that Yaya was the type to storm off. "What…"

Sei smiled gently and slid down next to her. "Maybe you should go after her," she said with a nudge, her smile transforming into an all-out grin when Tsubomi flushed pink. "Ah, what is this? Could it be there is something my Tsubomi-chaaaan isn't telling me?" she asked, fighting to hold back her laughter, mustering up fake tears instead. "I am hurt. Hurt, Tsu-bo-mi-chan." She tapped the horrified pinkette's nose.

"Ah- I'm sorry, but I don't-"

"Gomen, Tsubomi-chan, but it's pretty obvious that you have feelings for Yaya-chan," Tamao added from her position beside Nagisa. The pinkette shot her a glare.

"Because you're one to talk," she muttered, watching with a twisted pleasure as Tamao flushed bright red. Nagisa just looked confused. "Look, I'll go talk to her, okay?" Tsubomi said to the group at large, huffing before storming away almost as effectively as Yaya had.

**PGBR**

Yaya didn't look up when the knock came at her door, and when it opened anyway, she rolled onto her side, away from the figure in the door. "I'm asleep," she muttered, her face buried in a pillow, amber eyes staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

"Yaya-sempai…"

She gritted her teeth- of course it was Tsubomi. Tsubomi, the one person she wanted to seem strong in front of, and here she was, curled in on herself and pathetic. "Please talk to me," Tsubomi said, her voice barely more than a whisper as it cracked with the beginnings of tears. Yaya's eyes snapped open- if there was one thing that she absolutely couldn't stand, it was a girl's tears, especially one that she had feelings for. "What did I do wrong?"

Yaya may have been thick-headed, but she wasn't stupid. She knew herself well enough to know that she would continue to act up around Sei- that she would just get worse and worse until Tsubomi was hers, and if Tsubomi couldn't be hers…well, at least the pinkette would have an explanation. She resigned herself to the inevitable- disgust, loathing…

Fear…

The image of Hikari's face after Yaya had kissed her that night was forever etched into her mind, and the very idea of Tsubomi looking at her that same way made her feel sick to her stomach. But she didn't have a choice.

"I don't like the way she touches…the way she…I just don't like the way she acts around you," Yaya finally muttered after several false starts, arms folded tightly over her chest, eyes looking everywhere but at the pinkette staring at her in confusion. "It bothers me."

"Why would it bother you?" Tsubomi asked, tentatively taking a step forward. Yaya's eyes widened and she scrambled backwards on her bed, immediately regretting the move when she saw the hurt flash through Tsubomi's amber eyes. But she had to keep the distance between them- it had been proven that she couldn't control her body or her mind in these situations. "She's like your soul mate or something, right?"

Yaya scoffed.

Tsubomi huffed, her lips pursing in a stubborn pout that Yaya wanted to kiss off of her sweet face. "What am I supposed to think?" she asked indignantly. "You two both like teasing people, especially me. You're both loud and outgoing and…flirtatious." The last word came out in a mumble, and Yaya had to crack a slight smile at that.

"I can't stand Sei-sempai," Yaya replied, passing up the once-in-a-lifetime teasing opportunity for the sake of the situation, "whether she's my soul mate or not."

"Why not?"

And there it was- Tsubomi was glaring now, her arms tight over her chest, her hips cocked just slightly in that pose that girls always get when they're losing patience. And Yaya felt like she was a fish that had suddenly been thrown out onto the hot beach sand, flopping around, floundering for the breath that wouldn't come. "Because…" she began, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Because…"

Finally she sat up straighter and turned to look Tsubomi in the eyes, her own eyes flashing with the kind of determination that one always gets when one knows they're facing the inevitable. All she could do was straighten her back and take it like a man- if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right. "Because I'm a baka," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and in one swift movement she was off of the bed and had Tsubomi pinned to her by her waist, their lips colliding with the force of Yaya's pent up passion.

Tsubomi's eyes widened for a moment before she shot all the way from ground zero to feeling as if she could touch the stars, wrapping her arms too tightly around Yaya's neck, her fingers tangling in the thick ebony locks. Her heart felt like it was on some kind of roller coaster and an indescribable, weightless feeling made itself present deep in her navel. Without quite meaning to, a moan escaped from the back of her throat as she tried to pull the distant, passionate girl closer in a desperate attempt to capture the one girl who couldn't be caged for anything.

That moan was all the encouragement Yaya needed, and an animalistic growl ripped from her chest, her heart soaring in pride and triumph over that stupid girl-who-shall-not-be-named. "Mine," she muttered against Tsubomi's lips, her hands pressing firmly into the small of Tsubomi's back as the backs of her calves met the bed and she fell back, pulling Tsubomi with her. She easily shifted so that the moaning pinkette was underneath her and started on her neck, pulling the collar of her uniform out of the way with practiced ease.

"Yaya…sempai…" Tsubomi's voice was hardly more than a heated whisper as she feebly pushed back against the older girl. But Yaya's libido had been thrust into hyperdrive, and the older girl wasn't relenting for anyone as she moved down to Tsubomi's collarbone, nimble fingers working deftly at the buttons on her sweater. "Stop…Yaya-sempai…please…_STOP!_"

And the weight disappeared as if by magic, and Tsubomi's heart broke at the sight of the brunette's terrified expression. "I'm…sorry…" she said, her eyes wide as if she'd gone into shock. "I didn't mean…" Tsubomi frowned slightly, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't until Yaya was on her feet and backing away, apologizing over and over again, that she realized what was going on.

"No!" Doing the only thing she could think of to keep Yaya in the room, Tsubomi launched herself at Yaya, who, despite her shock, moved to catch her out of pure reflex. "No…" she whispered, her mouth pressed against the collar of Yaya's uniform, her fingers burying themselves in the older girl's hair. "I just…I…I really lo- _like _you, Yaya-sempai- reallyreally like you and…I don't want this to be some stupid hookup." She took a shaky breath- despite attending the rather sheltered Astraea Hill, she knew that she was gambling everything she'd just discovered by that statement. It was so easy to confuse lust for love- she'd watched her older sister's heart get broken time after time after time because of her feelings for boys who always seemed so sincere that night. But they never called again. "I'm not her, Yaya-chan. I'm not Hikari."

Feeling the hot tears prodding at the corners of her eyes, Yaya swallowed hard and took a shaky breath, tightening her arms around the pinkette and guiding them back to the bed. The last thing she needed to do was show more weakness to the girl she cared for, especially with the threat of Satou Sei possibly still looming over her. "I know," she said, sitting down gingerly and turning Tsubomi so that the pinkette was facing her, their foreheads pressed together. "I'm sorry. The last thing…the last thing I want is to scare you."

Tsubomi felt ready to cry just from the painfully sincere expression on Yaya's face, and judging by the older girl's newly horrified expression, she guessed that a few had already fallen. "Please don't cry," Yaya said softly, her voice rushed, her hands pressed to Tsubomi's cheeks, stroking them gently. The pinkette couldn't help but crack a watery smile at how flustered the older girl was. "I hate it when girls cry."

"Sorry," Tsubomi said quietly, fighting the urge to wrap her arms around Yaya again. "I just…I'm not going to hurt you. I'd never hurt you. Not on purpose, at least…" She frowned, clearly worried about the possibility. "I think what Hikari-sempai did to you wasn't fair."

Yaya looked away. "I don't blame her."

"I know you don't," Tsubomi snapped, temporarily forgetting herself. "Because you're a baka," she sighed. "I know Hikari-sempai was surprised and I know she was right to stop you but…just leaving you behind like she did…like she _has_…"

"Tsubomi-chan."

Tsubomi's eyes shifted to Yaya, full of unshed tears. "What?"

The older girl reached up, brushing the salty tears away with the pad of her thumb. "I never would have gotten over her if she hadn't," she said slowly, but firmly, as if she were trying to make something very clear. "Maybe it was right, maybe it wasn't, but if she'd stayed by my side like she had before…if she hadn't completely left me for that…for Oohtori-san…I would never have seen what was right in front of my face." She punctuated this statement with a brief but thorough kiss to Tsubomi's slightly parted lips. "And Satou-san's arrival only put my existing feelings to the front of my mind."

Tsubomi smiled weakly. "And everyone knows you can't focus on two things at once," she added with a giggle. "Your brain couldn't handle it- you'd probably explode."

Yaya scowled and fell back on the bed with Tsubomi in tow, the pinkette's head landing neatly on her chest. "I would not," she mumbled. "Anyway…" she began, trailing off as her hands ran down Tsubomi's spine. "No more Sei," she stated resolutely, causing Tsubomi to roll her eyes.

"There was no Sei-sempai to begin with," Tsubomi said dryly. "I was just being polite."

"You were blushing more than Nagisa-chan around Shizuma-san," Yaya stated matter-of-factly, her lips pursing just slightly in what could have been a vague hint of a pout.

Tsubomi groaned. "Fine, you win, Yaya-sempai," she said, "I'm hopelessly in love with Sei-sempai and her various…skills…" It was evil, especially for Tsubomi, but she thoroughly enjoyed the growl Yaya let loose for more than one reason. Not only did it show that Yaya was telling the truth about her feelings, but the sensation of the growl against her body was invigorating.

"I bet she's a bad kisser," Yaya declared, and that was the end of the discussion according to her as she rolled on her side, wrapping an arm tightly around Tsubomi. "'s late," she said after a moment.

Tsubomi nodded. Half of her wanted to roll over and demand that Yaya describe her feelings for her and tell her just how this relationship was going to work, but the more logical half told her to wait it out. So she settled for leaning back into the protective embrace and enjoying the feeling of Yaya's chest rising and falling against her. "We should probably go back and watch Nagisa-chan rehearse," she stated after a moment. This proposal was met by a loud groan from behind her, and she couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Or we could just tell them we fell asleep," Yaya muttered, her arm tightening around Tsubomi in a way that told the pinkette that 'no' wasn't an option.

"What do we say if they ask questions?" Tsubomi asked, cursing herself a second later for making up an excuse to get out of the comfortable position. She felt Yaya shrug behind her.

"We tell them we had steamy, raunchy lesbian sex," the older girl replied blandly, grinning when Tsubomi rolled over to smack her head.

"Baka."

"And you love it."


	6. Look For The Girl With The Broken Smile

**So a really weird thought crossed my mind the other day. **

**What would happen if MEN (OMGWTFAPPLESAUCE) appeared in the Strawberry Panic world (presuming life as we knew it didn't suddenly cease to exist)? **_**I **_**think that a new kind of social order would be formed- more uke girls, like Hikari (who is SO straight), Nagisa, possibly Tsubomi and especially Miyuki would probably become attracted to them because they've never really been exposed to men and all their yummy masculinity (bisexual in the house xD), and would like the stability, while the more seme-type girls, namely Shizuma, Shion, Yaya and **_**possibly**_** Amane (I'm not even sure if she's actually gay) would take it as a threat and get all possessive around their respective lovers, asserting their dominance and what not. Especially Yaya. Oh my **_**god**_**, can you IMAGINE how she'd react if some guy tried anything with one of 'her' girls, namely Hikari or Tsubomi? With HER personality? I've always thought of Yaya, despite being super-sexy and one of the girliest **_**looking **_**girls in the series, to be the most dominantly-geered girl in the series, with the brain of a hormonal teen boy. Seriously, she acts just like a lovesick boy around Hikari (not so much around Tsubomi towards the end, but I figure once she comes out of her depression, she'd act pretty similarly), with her hugging and flirting- I've seen boys act JUST like that before. And hormonal teen boys don't generally react well when some other boy comes in and tries to steal 'their' girl.**

**Chikaru could really go either way, depending on who she's paired with. I could see her as being attracted to a man (or, more likely, pretending to be so) and having Shion get all protective and jealous, but I can also see her having a thing for one of the younger girls (namely Tamao). It'd be interesting to see how she'd react in that situation, given her calm nature. Same with Momomi, although her reactions would be a bit more extreme. Oh my god. I just got the most insane idea for a Chikaru/Tamao/Momomi love triangle xD I can't imagine either of the two older girls being the dominant partner with anyone else, and Tamao more than deserves somebody fighting over her after all she's gone through. But that shall remain in my imagination…as will this entire plotline xP**

**Again, can't stand Kaname. So she probably died. Or whatever. **

**Now that I think about it, that's not a completely puke-worthy storyline. Huh. The things I think of when listening to angsty teen music xD**

**So I got to see a private showing of the new Harry Potter movie in the iMax because my mom is awesome and gave me the tickets, and I am now about to say something I NEVER thought I was going to say, even after reading the books.**

**I fell in love with (and cried for) Severus Snape.**

**Also—take note of my new avatar xD**

**AND one last thing- there's a trope for the couple of Tsubomi/Yaya xD Apparently it's called a Takahashi couple, and I believe it describes them down to a tee. A Tsundere and a Jerk With A Heart of Gold, no?**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Six: Look For the Girl with the Broken Smile**

Miyuki lay flat on her back, staring up at the speckled ceiling of her room. Well, her and Shizuma's, technically, but she couldn't remember the last time Shizuma slept there. _Poor Tamao_, she thought for a second, wincing for the younger girl. Her feelings for Nagisa were painfully obvious, and yet she sat there and watched Shizuma rub their relationship in her face with that sweet, broken smile.

A knock came at the door, and Miyuki sat up slowly, staring at it hesitantly until it giggled. Or rather, the girl on the other side giggled, and she sighed. "It's unlocked, Minamoto-san," she said dryly, her fears of Shion confronting her so quickly quelled.

The door creaked open and the small, dark-haired Le Rim president slipped in and made her way over to the bed, sitting down gingerly beside Miyuki. They sat in silence for the longest time, Miyuki in no rush to create a conversation- Chikaru obviously wanted to talk to her, but she knew the Le Rim president well enough to know that silence wouldn't deter her.

"Everyone thought Shion-koi would end up with me," Chikaru said out of the blue, tilting her head and smiling gently at Miyuki, who frowned slightly. Was this a challenge? But she had no claim to the Spican- _wanted _no claim to the Spican.

So why did Chikaru's words bother her so much?

"Hmm?" Miyuki murmured, signaling Chikaru to continue. _Shion-koi?_

Chikaru nodded with that same gentle smile, a giggle escaping her lips as she read Miyuki's expression. "We used to be best friends, once," Chikaru said in explanation. "When we both became involved in politics, we started drifting apart, and I didn't mind. It seemed like the way it should be. But she'll always be my flustered, blushing Shion-koi." She smiled. "Unless, of course, she's yours?"

Miyuki scoffed. "She's not and I have no desire for her to be," she stated bitterly. "Do whatever you like."

Chikaru sighed, obviously wanting a different reaction from the Miator president. "I don't want her- not like that, at least," she said. "I have my eyes set on someone else at the moment…" She trailed off, traces of a very real, sincere smile flickering across her face. And then she sighed. "Someone who is so hopelessly in love with another that I am utterly eclipsed in the shadow of that other."

Miyuki's eyes widened. "Not…Shizuma?"

Chikaru turned to her, looking utterly lost for a moment before she laughed. "No, not Shizuma-san," she said, still chuckling faintly. "No," she continued, her voice fading and her posture curving in on itself just a little bit, "but it might as well be."

"Tamao-chan."

It wasn't a question, because Miyuki knew it to be true, and she didn't need Chikaru's blush or lovesick sigh to prove it to her. It was funny, how a simple, loveable girl like Nagisa-chan- a girl that Miyuki had once thought of as nothing more than a new student and a mild inconvenience- _Nagisa-chan _had been the one to rip it all away from her, and Chikaru too, as it seemed. "She casts such a large shadow for a girl so small," Chikaru said quietly, and Miyuki knew she was referring to the red-head, though her name had yet to be mentioned. "Don't you agree, Rokujou-san?"

"She took everything from me," Miyuki said quietly in response, "but I can't bring myself to hate her. I hate Shizuma…more and more every day, but…I don't…"

"The scariest part is that you know the reason you hate her is because you love her," Chikaru finished when she could not. "But you don't have to- not forever. There are people out there who would do anything for you- you just have to find them. But I get the feeling you already have, ne, Rokujou-san?"

Miyuki stiffened. "What is it you want, Minamoto-san?"

Chikaru smiled gently. "I want many things," she said, and Miyuki scowled at her. "But I came here because I want you to see that your situation is not as hopeless as you think."

"What, dare I ask, do you mean by that?"

"I mean," Chikaru began, turning to face Miyuki, her mocha eyes boring into the Miator president's, "you pity yourself for your situation, but at this point, even when everybody's trying to save you, still, you run. Shion-koi knows of the consequences that could be, Rokujou-san- she's not stupid- and she is begging you to let her save you. As she could, Rokujou-san." Chikaru reached up and ran her fingers through a strand of Miyuki's fine, shoulder-length hair. "But the prince can't save Rapunzel if she won't let down her hair." She smiled softly as she released a stunned Miyuki, allowing the hair to slip through her fingertips. "Let down your hair, Rokujou-san. What do you have to lose that you won't lose anyway if you allow your life to go as it was planned?"

**PGBR**

"Wake up, Yaya-sempai!"

Yaya groaned, raising a hand too late to prevent the pillow from colliding with her face. "Ohayo, Tsubomi-chaaaaaan," she slurred, rolling over and burying her face in the pillow beneath her. She heard an indignant huff behind her.

"You're going to make us late," Tsubomi snapped, hitting Yaya again, this time in the back of the head. "_Again._"

"You don't _have _to wait for me," Yaya murmured, a smirk slowly forming on her lips as she rolled over, blinking sleepily up at the pinkette, who blushed fiercely. The older girl pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss before the wide-eyed tsundere had a chance to react. "But I'm glad you do."

Tsubomi watched as the brunette jumped up and immediately began stripping off her clothes without a care in the world. "Yaya-sempai!" she cried, though to her horror it came out as more of a squeak. Yaya turned and shot her a sly grin.

"Who knew little Tsubomi-chan was such a hentai," she murmured, glancing at the pinkette with a faux-fearful expression, causing Tsubomi to turn red.

"Shut up, baka!" Tsubomi spat, folding her arms over her chest. Yaya grinned and tugged the pinkette's wrist so they were only a few centimeters away, ducking her head to allow her lips to rest in the nook between Tsubomi's shoulder and neck. A flicker of pride shot through her as Tsubomi shivered- Yaya was a master of seduction and the art of Sapphic lovemaking. It was one of the things she'd always prided herself on, especially when it had begun to come to the attention of many of her cuter fangirls. But they hardly crossed her mind anymore- her thoughts were completely taken over by a blushing, pink-haired tsundere who'd managed to worm her way into Yaya's heart at the time when it was most closed off. "Let go- we have to get to class," Tsubomi finally choked out, pushing Yaya away and racing out of the room.

Yaya smirked, following slowly behind her and admiring the view.

**PGBR**

Shion blinked up at her pacing teacher with weary eyes, her chin resting on the hard wood of her desk. Usually she'd be caught dead before being caught slacking, but she'd been up for the past few nights examining her parents' (hers, once she graduated) funds and looking up information on Miyuki's fiance. Shizuma hadn't been lying- Shion had more than enough money to satisfy Miyuki's parents, and the man was simply despicable just from his picture. A sleazy, yellow, crooked grin was accompanied by a dark beard and bloodshot eyes, and Shion wasn't so impressed. That took care of the literal aspect- Shion was more than capable of 'saving' Rokujou Miyuki.

But her heart ached just thinking about it- telling Miyuki she knew a way out, watching the girl's eyes light up, then dim as she heard the conditions, and light up again when Shion told her she was going to let her go.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? Shion didn't trust herself to add in that minor technicality- she'd been in love with the Miator council president ever since she could remember, whether she'd chosen to display those feelings in a healthy manner or not. And even noble, moral Shion wasn't sure she would be able to stand having Miyuki all to herself one minute only for her to be gone forever the next.

She sighed and went back to doodling on her paper.

Chikaru caught her eye meaningfully at dinner, and Shion's eyes flickered to Miyuki immediately- the Miator president raised one eyebrow before turning back to her meal, which, Shion noticed, was untouched, and remained so until Miyuki left the dining hall. Reflexively she stood up to follow her, but paused, watching a certain blonde carefully to make sure she wasn't going to try anything. When she was satisfied that Sei wasn't going to try and follow after Miyuki, Shion stalked out of the dining hall just as Miyuki had done only moments before.

**PGBR**

"You know, starving yourself isn't going to help anyone."

Miyuki glanced up from the cold grass to find a pair of large violet eyes staring at her as Shion approached, hands clasped behind her back. Rolling her eyes, she turned to face her fully. "I don't see how it's going to hurt anyone either," she said, groaning when Shion's eyes widened. "I'm not starving myself, Toumori-san! I just…lost my appetite."

"Why?"

Carefully Shion took a step closer to Miyuki- they were right by a wooden fence she remembered from when Kaori was still with them. They'd sat on that fence for hours, just smiling, laughing…and when had she stopped laughing? Miyuki raised her head to meet the violet gaze and stepped back so she was leaning against the fence, arms folded over her chest. "He's going to visit."

Shion frowned. "Who…"

"My _fiancé_," Miyuki spat, the word rolling past her lips like poison. "We've never met in person, and he wants to meet me now, before the wedding- not that he'd reconsider. He knows full well what I look like- I think he wants to try and 'bond'."

Shion's brow dropped, and she found herself clenching her jaw without quite realizing it. Sei was bad enough, but she seemed to have backed down, at least.

"Shion."

Miyuki's use of her first name jerked her from her jealousy for the moment, and Shion looked up to meet a pair of stern brown eyes. "Behave."

"Behave?" the Spican asked, baffled for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Miyuki sighed. "What happened with Sei- _Satou-san _was bad enough," she said, correcting herself when Shion's eyes flashed dangerously. She wanted Shion to focus on the conversation, not on her jealousy, rational or otherwise. "It would be inappropriate for you to speak to Hideshi-san as you did to her; in fact, some of the looks I've caught you giving her are off limits too. And _please_," she said, running a hand through the blonde locks for a second before pulling her hand away, "please just…stay out of the way."

Shion frowned, both her feelings as well as her pride wounded. "Stay out of the way?" she asked, grabbing Miyuki's hand and kissing her knuckles briefly before placing it on her shoulder. She drew the Miator president closer, leaning back against an old tree for support. "What do you mean?"

Miyuki sighed wearily, wishing Shion wouldn't be so charming when she was trying to break bad news. "I mean…well, you don't seem to have as much of a problem as Nanto-san does, but…if he touches me…I need you to…to…"

"To _watch_?" Shion asked, incredulous. "To not do anything?"

"_Yes_," Miyuki said, exasperated. "Yes, that's exactly what I need you to do, and I shouldn't even have to ask you. Your...physical possessiveness would be irrational even in an actual relationship. In what we have it's just ridiculous." She spoke harshly, hoping some of the words would make it past Shion's stubbornness.

"Then be mine."

Miyuki's eyes widened comically as her eyes flickered back up to a deathly serious Shion. "What?" she asked, though she'd heard perfectly well. "I tell you that you're irrationally jealous and possessive, and your solution is to cement our relationship so that it's okay to do so? The day before my fiancé arrives?"

"Well I hadn't thought about it like that but…yeah," Shion replied simply, shrugging. Then her face sobered and she leaned against the fence beside Miyuki, her arm just barely brushing the Miator president's side. If the situation hadn't been so awful, Miyuki might've laughed at the change in the Spican's demeanor. Shion was so small in her Spica uniform, but it was easy to forget with the way she spoke. However, in times like this…Miyuki sighed, remembering exactly why she couldn't allow herself to fall for Shion. She wasn't Miyuki's knight in shining armor- she was only another fragile schoolgirl who thought she could change the world. "I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself."

Miyuki scoffed. "That's a cop out," she stated dryly. "Everyone's able to control themselves- even Nanto-san…I think. It's just hard for you because you're used to speaking my mind."

Shion raised her head slightly. "I have to be," she said, "since I'll be taking over my father's law firm after I graduate."

Miyuki raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" she asked. "Well…congratulations, then, Toumori-san. I'm sure you're perfect for the job."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Shion muttered, her gaze once again turned to her shoes.

"What should I call you then?" Miyuki asked, then, without quite intending to say it, "not Shion-_koi_?" Instantly she scolded herself- why did she care what Shion and Chikaru had, anyway. The Spican, to her surprise, groaned.

"She's been calling me that again?" she asked, ducking her head as she looked up at Miyuki with a pained expression. Miyuki smiled slightly, though it didn't reach her eyes. Shion sighed. "I swear she's not as innocent as she looks," she said. "Every time we'd get into trouble as kids, she'd find some way to weasel out of it and watch while I did whatever punishment I got. She just calls me that because she knows it bothers me."

"Why do you think I'd care what Minamoto-san calls you?" Miyuki asked, but in saying so, gave herself away by the tone of bitterness in her voice. "I don't know how many times I have to explain it before you understand that we…that _this _can't happen."

Instead of looking downtrodden as usual, Shion's features formed a tentative smile. "Well, from what I can tell," she said nonchalantly, looking out at Miator off to the left, "you _do_, and this _is_." At Miyuki's blush, Shion smiled and continued in a serious tone. "I really don't think I can stand back and watch, Miyuki," she murmured. "It's not in my nature, as you well know."

"Then don't watch."

This offhand comment ignited the spark that had been burning within Shion since the moment Miyuki mentioned her fiancé. She turned to Miyuki with a fierce, grim expression and shifted so that she could feel Miyuki's small body pressing against hers. "Do you have any idea how hard that is?" she asked quietly. "To know it's happening and turn the other way? I've tried to do it with Satou-san and I can't- what makes you think it'll be any easier with a man who's going to have his hands all over you with every intention of…of _having _you," she spat out the word, "not just doing it to mess with my mind?"

Groaning, Miyuki pulled further away from Shion, not trusting herself to keep her head around the Spican. "You'll survive, I'm sure," she said unsympathetically. "Everyone has to learn to bite their tongue eventually, even you, Toumori-san." Though the more she thought about it, the more she found Shion's brash, honest personality endearing.

Shion's stance didn't waver as it usually did when Miyuki snapped at her; the Miator president hadn't realized how much she actually did that until only a moment ago, and her heart ached with guilt. All the Spican wanted was to help her- to _love _her like no one else did. But she couldn't help that now- one problem at a time. And right now, she needed Shion to stand down.

Swallowing what was left of her pride, she turned to Shion with pleading eyes. If her parents knew…she would have nothing, not even the wealth that she had been promised. "Please," she whispered, hating herself for how her voice cracked. Vaguely, she recalled Shizuma's words back in their second year.

_"You've always been such a crybaby, Miyuki."_

And it was true- even the most innocent of criticisms could be enough to bring Miyuki to tears if she didn't clench her jaw and stare straight through the mocking eyes. "Please, Shion," she continued, using the informal speech as a last result. The Spican's eyes flashed with hurt- Miyuki knew Shion well enough to know that she had an inflated sense of pride, and that this situation would most likely be a huge toll on her ego. But Shion's posture was wavering, and that's what she needed.

The Spican nodded sharply, turning on her heel, likely so that Miyuki couldn't see how upset she was. The Miator president sighed as she leaned back against the tree. "You may come out now, Minamoto-san," she said tiredly. She didn't know how Chikaru always managed to be in the right place at the right time, but she wasn't going to question it now. Chikaru emerged from behind a tree a few meters away and came to stand hesitantly before Miyuki.

"That's going to take a huge toll on her," Chikaru said softly, looking in the direction that Shion had left.

Miyuki folded her arms tightly over her chest. "I know," she said sharply, "but I need you to make sure she keeps her word." Chikaru raised an eyebrow. "Not that I don't trust her- I just think that…if she got upset enough…"

Chikaru nodded slowly. "I understand," she said, "and you're right. She would very likely overreact and blow the whole thing. And I will help to the best of my abilities." Miyuki sighed in relief, but Chikaru shot her a glare that would have scared the feathers off of an eagle. It sent a shiver down Miyuki's spine- she'd never seen the Le Rim president do much more than smile serenely. "But know this, Rokujou-san- Shion is not the type to give up, and I will not encourage her to do so. You need to make a decision instead of stringing her along like this."

"She knows the consequences!" Miyuki replied indignantly, but Chikaru just shook her head.

"She knows of them, yes," Chikaru said, "but have you ever told her _no_? Directly? You like it, Miyuki- you like the attention she gives you and the way she puts you on her pedestal. But you're going to break that girl's heart if you continue this." Without waiting for the Miator president to reply, she left, leaving a speechless Miyuki behind.


	7. Even If You Run

**Here's another chapter just because I can't just leave off with Miyuki's fiancé angst looming around the corner- I'll decide whether to continue or not after this.**

**MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks!**

**Kaze Rei: I like ShionXChikaru too- for some reason I have a strange fascination with Shion's character…this weird pairing was due to a picture I saw in the manga of Miyuki kissing Shion's hand for some sort of pact. **

**Bumface: Thanks =) I'll do my best.**

**Ptolemaeus the Mighty: Thanks =) I'm a girl, btw, if that helps ;) And wouldn't it be interesting? I think Yaya would go kung fu on their ass to protect her little tsundere =D**

**GardenBeauty: Thanks! I'm glad I was able to capture the right mood for the chapter.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Seven: Even If You Run**

Tsubomi knelt on the floor in between Tamao and (ugh) Chiyo in the room that Nagisa and Tamao shared, trying to pretend she didn't know just where her maybe-semi-girlfriend was at the moment.

It had been days since the kiss, but other than that one kiss the morning after, Yaya hadn't shown any signs of wanting to be anything more. _Baka_, she thought, though she wasn't sure whether it was directed at Yaya or herself, _you knew better than this. You knew this would happen. _She sat up straighter as a knock came at the door, hoping that maybe…

But she was greeted by a head of messy blonde hair and a grin that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame. For the first time since Shiori, Sei felt her heart drop as she saw the pinkette's expression going from hopeful to listless in a matter of seconds. Tsubomi's shoulders had dropped and she seemed to grow smaller than she already was, and Sei could just _see _the perky cat ears droop. "Hey, it's my favorite cutie," she chorused, flopping down beside the pinkette in an attempt to make her smile. And she did- a little half smile that would have broken a more fragile girl's heart. Sei frowned- a girl like Tsubomi (any girl, in fact) should never have to fake a smile. Had she done the wrong thing in pushing the two together? Yaya's possessiveness could just be the way the girl responded to having her friends taken from her- but no, she had definitely seen something there.

"Hi, Sei-senpai," Tsubomi said quietly, staring down into her tea. One look at the bluenette across the room told Sei that she'd been like this all night. Tamao was watching the pinkette with a mixture of sadness and empathy, and Sei could only imagine what this poor girl had gone through.

"Where's Yaya-chan?"

Sei regretted speaking immediately when Tsubomi shrunk even further into herself, and was almost positive she could now guess where the brunette in question was. "She's with Hikari-senpai," Tsubomi said, her voice all but a whisper. "She was upset because…because she and Amane-sama…it turns out that Hikari didn't have any real feelings for Amane-sama."

Tamao nodded her agreement. "Idol worship," she said softly, giving Tsubomi a moment to collect herself. "They hardly knew each other."

Nagisa mimicked Tamao's gesture fervently. "And from what we hear, everything between Hikari-chan and Yaya-chan was a bit blurry," she said, oblivious to Tamao's desperate attempt to shut her up with her eyes. "Hikari-chan did push Yaya-chan away but apparently she responded at first. She-"

Too late, Tamao clapped a hand over Nagisa's mouth in a last-ditch attempt to save the situation. Sei turned her gaze to a positively broken-looking Tsubomi. The pinkette's eyes raised to meet her own. "I already knew," she said quietly. "Just hearing it…was a bit of a shock." She'd never heard the pinkette so docile before. It reminded her of things she'd forced from her head a long time ago. "She asked Yaya-senpai to meet her in the chapel."

Sei watched as Tamao's head dropped along with Tsubomi's, as if she truly knew what the pinkette was feeling.

Suddenly the door burst open a second time, revealing a grinning Yaya and a blushing Hikari attached to her arm. Tsubomi's knuckles turned white around the poor teacup she was strangling as the smug brunette plopped herself down onto the floor right beside the pinkette.

"Hey guys, what'd we miss?" she asked, popping a cookie into her mouth. Her gaze shifted around the room when her question went unanswered. "Hey, what's up with you guys?" she asked hesitantly, taking in Sei's solemn expression, Nagisa's tentative lip biting and Tsubomi's hunched posture. But it was the expression on Tamao's face that really scared her. The bluenette's eyes flashed with disdain and her lips curled downwards as if she'd smelled something vile. "Tamao-chan?" Yaya leaned slightly into Hikari as a means to escape Tamao's wrath.

At that moment, Tsubomi couldn't take it anymore and set her teacup on the ground before darting out of the room. Yaya stood up quickly, completely lost but prepared to follow the pinkette, but found herself trapped by Tamao's iron grip on her wrist. "I would think," the bluenette hissed, her voice so quiet that no one else could hear her, "that you'd be a little more sensitive, considering what we _both _went through. How _could _you wish that on _anyone _else, _especially _the girl who saved you from whatever cave you buried yourself in? The girl who adores you more than anything?"

Yaya frowned, jerking out of Tamao's grasp. "Let go," she snapped. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but nobody's going to tell me when I can talk to _my _girlfriend."

Tamao scoffed in disbelief. On the floor, Hikari and Nagisa both inched closer to Sei, a bit scared of the two girls, especially the normally tame Tamao, who'd never said so much as a negative syllable against anyone, not even Shizuma. "Your _girlfriend_?" Tamao asked, incredulous. "So you're not just a player, then? Now you're greedy too?"

"_Greedy_?"

"Not only do you want Tsubomi, but now that Hikari's available, you can't choose between them?"

Yaya recoiled as if she'd been slapped, and suddenly a quiet voice rang out from the floor. All eyes turned to a mousy-looking Hikari. "Yaya-chan and I aren't a couple," she said quietly, avoiding the stares. "I did ask her, but…she said she had someone else now. I guess she was thinking of Tsubomi-chan?"

Tamao blinked and Yaya shot her a scathing look. "So that's why she ran away?" she asked hotly, "because she thinks I'm still in love with Hikari? I guess you told her that, too."

"What was I supposed to do?" Tamao shot back. "Let her get hurt the same way you were? The same way I was?"

Yaya ran a hand through her hair and took a calming breath. "Right, well I'm going to go find her before she gets hurt," she stated, her protective instinct overpowering her need to continue arguing with Tamao. Who knew what kind of people prowled around Astraea Hill at night? "And I expect you to explain this to her."

**PGBR**

Miyuki stood between her mother and father, head bowed appropriately as the man before her pressed a kiss to her hand.

"You have such a beautiful daughter, sir," he said to Miyuki's father, who grunted approvingly. Miyuki almost scoffed; all her father cared about was the money. As long as this man would put up with her, he was happy. "I cannot wait for you to become my wife."

"Miyuki, the head sister instructed us that you would introduce us to the leaders of your student body to show how much you have grown," Miyuki's mother said, fixing her with a pointed gaze. Miyuki bit her lip- she hadn't been informed of this technicality until earlier that morning. Shion had promised to behave but with the way Hideshi had been acting so far…

"Of course," she said with a bow, stepping in front of her mother and accepting her…fiance's proffered arm. "This way, please, Hideshi-san."

Outside the council room, Miyuki could hear the head sister beginning the introductions to the rest of the student council. She took a deep breath, and, willing herself to keep her composure, she pushed the door to the room open, sparing a small smile to her concerned-looking best friend. Shizuma sat back, her eyes clouded over with disinterest, though she was secretly scanning the man before her for flaws.

Chikaru sent a gentle smile Hideshi's way, though her eyes didn't reflect it. Despite whatever disagreements existed within the council, they all knew of the situation, and they all knew that this man was the reason Miyuki had stopped smiling.

Shooting Chikaru a grateful smile, which the Le Rim president returned with a concerned gaze of her own, Miyuki sat in her chair across from Shion. She didn't look at the Spican president.

Hideshi and her parents sat on the chairs beside her, oblivious to the invisible conversation going on between the presidents. "I'm glad to see you were associating with the right sort of people," he said, puffing out his chest. Miyuki caught Shizuma coughing into her hand and shot the other girl a glare. Shizuma's eyes glinted mischievously.

Miyuki's shoulders tensed as she felt a heavy weight land on her shoulders. Beside her, Hideshi grunted in a satisfied sort of way, and she cringed. Less than an hour and she could understand Shizuma's hatred of men.

"_Huge, self-righteous oafs that think they have the right to every girl in the world without a bit of effort."_

Miyuki pursed her lips- okay, so maybe Shizuma's description had been a little bit biased, but Miyuki could see the truth in it in Hideshi. She raised her eyes to meet Shizuma's. The other girl raised an eyebrow, and her olive eyes flickered over to the left for a fraction of a second. Miyuki followed her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't- Shion was glaring at the man with an intensity that could have melted a more perceptive man. As it was, Hideshi was entirely focused on whatever the head sister was saying, and Miyuki took the chance to send a pleading glance to Chikaru, who in turn put a hand on Shion's forearm. The bluenette felt her eyes narrow, but she forced herself to look away from the scene, knowing that it was for the best.

Several minutes later, Miyuki felt a scratchy, rough sensation against the back of her neck and forced herself to swallow back bile as she realized what was happening. Hideshi was trying to seduce her- in front of her parents, no less.

In front of Shion.

Miyuki looked up fearfully, her eyes meeting with the Spican's only to find an absolutely enraged expression that she'd only seen once before, when Chikaru won the role of Carmen in last year's play. Her teeth were clenched like her hands, and, after watching for a moment, Miyuki realized that she was actually shaking. When Shion realized that Miyuki was staring, she shot her one last, pleading gaze before abruptly standing when the Miator president shook her head. "Excuse me, I'm not feeling well," she bit out before practically storming from the room. Chikaru's eyes became riveted to Miyuki's, and she sighed heavily, though she was secretly glad to have an excuse to shrug out of Hideshi's arms.

"I should see if she's alright," Miyuki said, donning a near-perfect apologetic expression for her fiancé. She cringed inwardly at the mere word. "If that's acceptable?"

Hideshi replied with a patronizing smile. "Of course," he said. "I am honored to have a fiancée who is so caring of her friends."

Miyuki attempted to return the smile and left the room before the façade crumbled. She stood there, against the wall to the council room, for the longest time, trying to collect herself. It was worse than she'd imagined- she'd had a hunch about the age difference, but such a repulsive man, and a liar at that… She knew it was all a façade for the sake of her parents, and it was ironic, really, considering that she was doing the same.

Finally she glanced up, having managed to steady her breathing for the time being, and easily located Shion. The Spican was leaning against the banister to the stairway, arms folded over her chest, her violet eyes boring into Miyuki. The Miator president sighed and slowly made her way over, stopping only about a foot away from Shion. "What is it, Shion?"

"I think you know what it is," the Spican said coolly. When Miyuki's shoulders dropped, revealing her true exhaustion, Shion's eyes softened considerably and she pushed away from the banister, taking one of the Miator president's hands in her own and kissing her knuckles. "He's just a little more than I thought he'd be, Miyuki," she said tiredly, pulling Miyuki to her by her lower back. "I don't see how you can stand him touching you like that."

"Obviously," the Miator president intoned. "Do you think you can manage? He'll only be here for a few days at the most."

Shion grumbled noncommittally. "I don't like the way he looks at you," she stated unhelpfully. "And the way he touches you. It makes me want to rip the fingers off his hands so he can't touch you anymore."

"Someone's protective," Miyuki said lowly, focusing her gaze on Shion's collarbone, because it seemed easier than meeting the Spican's eyes. Her heart was beginning to race the way hearts do when they know something's about to happen, and she knew she had to get out of there. "I have to go back, Shion."

The Spican sighed and leaned her forehead against Miyuki's for a moment before pulling back and placing a firm kiss to her forehead. "If he tries anything, I want you to tell me," she said seriously as she pulled away. "I'll make sure no woman will ever have anything to do with him again."

"You know I can't do that," Miyuki said, her heart dropping at the defeated look on Shion's face. "It would ruin everything."

"He's not the only choice you know."

Miyuki frowned, drawing further away from Shion, who was now staring at the floor. "What do you mean? I've told you a hundred times, my parents-"

"Chose him for his money and good family," Shion finished for her. "I know. But…you do realize you're attending a school full of rich girls from powerful families, right? One of them's bound to like you." And there- it was out. Somewhat.

Miyuki rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tomori-san," she said, smiling slightly when Shion winced. "As if I'd do that to any girl here- force them to marry me and pay my parents' dowry only to let me go once it was all said and done."

Shion scuffed the floor with the toe of her shoe, looking strangely nervous. "What if she knew all that already?" she asked quietly. "What if she was willing to do it just to see you smile again?"

Miyuki was silent for a moment before her eyes flashed with understanding. "No," she said sharply, causing the Spican to almost physically recoil. "Don't talk like that, Shion. I'm not worth the trouble it would cause your family and I'm not worth the dowry. It's one thing to let…to let that man pay it, but I won't bring this situation near anyone I halfway respect."

"What if I want to?" Shion asked quietly, switching from the hypothetical seamlessly, not seeing the point in continuing to hide her intentions. "What if the money didn't matter- what if my social standing didn't matter? Would you say yes then?" She was begging now, pressing in on Miyuki with a new urgency. "What if I couldn't bear to let your smile disappear forever?"

"There's no point in dwelling on what ifs, Shion," Miyuki said, her tone cold as ice once more. She sighed, turning to look back over her shoulder in the direction of the room that her…fiancé…was seated in. "Go to bed, alright? I have to go back to the meeting."

She turned and left, and Shion reached out to stop her a moment too late, and was forced to watch her disappear through the council room door, back into the arms of the man she didn't love. Back into the arms of the man she loathed, but still chose over her.

Her hands clenched into fists at her side- she would not give up. Not yet.

**PGBR**

"Tsubomi…"

"Go _away_," the pinkette growled from the front of the chapel, where she was seated in one of the pews. Hot tears were slipping down her cheeks at an alarming rate, but she didn't dare wipe them away. So far Yaya was still behind her, and as long as she didn't come any closer, nothing would be given away. "I'm practicing."

Yaya smirked. "What, keeping your mouth shut for more than five seconds?" A growl came from the front of the chapel, and Yaya walked over to where Tsubomi was seated, hands clasped behind her back. "Why'd you run out like that, pinky?"

"Because I couldn't stand to watch you corrupt another innocent person." That was half true, at least. She sighed, finally rubbing the tears away from her eyes so that she could turn to face Yaya. It was dark enough that if Yaya stayed far enough away, she wouldn't notice the redness of Tsubomi's eyes or her tear-stained cheeks. "What are you doing here, anyway? How long have you loved Hikari-senpai now? Shouldn't you be enjoying your time with her now that your feelings are returned?"

Yaya sighed, noting the way Tsubomi's voice broke. "I don't love Hikari- not like that, not anymore," she said, not really surprised when she heard Tsubomi scoff. She took a step forward and in one fluid movement had her arm wrapped around Tsubomi's waist, maneuvering her so that she could slip into the pew beside the pinkette. "I know it's hard to believe," she began, keeping a firm arm around Tsubomi despite the latter's squirming, "but after what happened with her and Amane…she abandoned me, Tsubomi-chan. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably have done some pretty stupid things by now. Hikari isn't like Nagisa-chan; she can't focus her attention on more than one person at once. She gets attached, and she doesn't need or want anyone else. The only reason their relationship ended at all was because Amane cut things off. And it's not like I got over my feelings in one day, either. It took a while, but…I'm not the kind of person who can be okay with not knowing whether my girlfriend is going to need me the next day or not. I'm stubborn and overprotective and as I'm sure you've told me a thousand times, I'm an idiot. Especially when it comes to someone I really care about."

Tsubomi was silent for a moment, having given up her struggle against Yaya's much stronger arm. "Why are you telling me this?" she finally asked. "It's not like it affects me, whether you're with Hikari-senpai or not."

Yaya frowned. "What do you mean, it's not like it affects you?" she asked, sincerely confused, her pride slightly dented. Tsubomi couldn't _possibly _have forgotten, could she? Yaya was renowned for her skills… "I thought…the other night…"

"Was just a stupid hookup," Tsubomi interjected, her words laced with venom as she jerked out from beneath Yaya's arm. The older girl was too shocked to stop her, and simply watched as Tsubomi stalked down the aisle towards the door. "You should learn to keep your hormones under control, Yaya-senpai." And then she was gone.

Yaya sat there, shell-shocked, blinking hazily as if trying to understand how the conversation had gotten to this point. And then suddenly her brain kicked in, telling her that Tsubomi had just walked out into the forest in the middle of the night in an area that was probably crawling with perverts trying to get their hands on a young, cute girl like her tsundere. She was out of the pew in a flash, thanking her athletic skills for the edge they would give her on finding Tsubomi.

It didn't take her long at all- after about three minutes of frantic searching, she caught sight of a shivering bundle pressed tightly up against a large tree. "Tsubomi."

Tsubomi glanced up, her eyes wide and her face streaked with tears. "Why are you-" She didn't get to finish- she was cut off by the older girl taking three quick strides in her direction and easily lifting her off the ground, catching her in a tight embrace.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Yaya mumbled into Tsubomi's light sweater. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

Unable to fight her instincts any longer, Tsubomi clung to Yaya, her hands gripping the older girl's shoulders and her face cold with the sensation of the wind blowing on her wet face. "Yaya-senpai…" she murmured, sniffing wetly and hardly reacting when she felt the older girl scoop her up easily, carrying her towards the dorms. Tsubomi only held on tighter and buried her face in Yaya's shoulder. She had been so terrified- it was almost one a.m. When she'd first run from the dorms, she was too consumed with emotion to notice her surroundings, but when she'd run from the chapel, she'd become paralyzed with fear. In reality, she knew that Yaya was just a teenage girl like herself, and more attractive, at that, and therefore an easier target. But something inside her told her to trust the older girl, and she was tired of hurting.

Yaya carried Tsubomi back to her own dorm room, having no intention of allowing the pinkette to spend the night alone. She gently lowered her onto her own bed, considering that the other was stripped of its covers. Once she was sure that Tsubomi was comfortable, she sunk down onto the bed herself, her head cradled in her hands. "Tsubomi-chan," she began, thinking over her words before speaking. "What happened the other night…it meant something to me. And that doesn't mean it has to mean something to you, even though I really think it did. But please, don't run off like that again."

Tsubomi nodded mutely, the covers raised up to her nose. She could smell Yaya's sweet perfume on the fabric, and felt her cheeks flaring up once more.

Yaya glanced over at her and sighed. "Tsubomi-chan…" she murmured, brushing the pinkette's bangs away from her face. "I really want you to be my girlfriend," she stated bluntly, figuring that was the only way she would ever be able to put it out there. "I know I'm stupid and stubborn and way too jealous for my own good, but I really care about you, and if you like me too, I really want you to tell me."

Tsubomi looked down at the covers. "Of course I like Yaya-senpai," she said quietly before turning her amber gaze up to meet Yaya's. "But she avoided me for days after what happened between us, and now she wants me to be her girlfriend?"

Yaya sighed. "You know what happened between me and Hikari?" she asked, relieved when Tsubomi nodded. "Do you really think I was willing to go through that again, especially with the one girl who's always been by my side? I didn't want to mess anything up."

Slowly, Tsubomi let the covers fall as she sat up. "You didn't mess anything up," she said softly, her eyes red from crying. "You're just a baka- it's to be expected."

Yaya grinned and leaned over, stealing a kiss from the pinkette before Tsubomi could protest. "Good," she said, her eyes dancing in a way that made Tsubomi's heart soar. She hadn't seen that look on Yaya since before the incident with Hikari. "Because you do realize you're stuck with me, right?"

Tsubomi faked a groan. "I should have thought of that before," she muttered, only to giggle when Yaya jumped onto the bed, straddling Tsubomi between her legs.

"Yeah," the brunette said with a roguish grin, leaning down to press her lips to Tsubomi's neck. "You really should have."

**Finally another update! I'm working on a MariMite fic, so it's taking a bit longer than usual =P A/N: I meant no offense to anyone by Shizuma's view on men. I actually quite like them ;) I just wanted to make Hideshi's character a bit more hateable. **


	8. Anywhere You Want Me

**Kaizer20: I know, I'm sorry =( Generally the reviews tend to trickle off so I don't have any motivation to continue. I'm flattered that you admired me, and if it's any consolation, I do plan on continuing this one. It's got a good storyline going and it seems to be fairly well reviewed. I have a lot of things going on right now like worrying about a job and college and stuff like that, so sometimes I get sidetracked, but I really do like this story, and I plan to continue it.**

**Huggler: The ugh was because Tsubomi doesn't like Chiyo, and I was writing from her perspective =P I'm glad you liked the chapter! Tsubomi didn't really think it was a fling, but she figures that's how Yaya thinks, and she didn't want Yaya to know she had feelings for her since she thought Yaya wanted Hikari. Make sense?**

**Leseratte: Wow, thanks! I'm glad it seems that way to you, since it's always hard to keep everything in character.**

**Stavri: Yeah, that's why I was careful to add the A/N despite what Miyuki thought. Things can get blown out of proportion on here pretty easily, and that's absolutely not my opinion on all men- not even most men. But it'd mess with the storyline if he wasn't evil =P**

**strawberrymolly: Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much =)**

**RomanticVulcanolight: HikariXYaya? NEVER! xD I always thought Hikari was just in idol worship of Amane, and was bound to notice how much sexier Yaya was eventually if she had an ounce of lesbian…ness…in her body at all. Actually, if she really had been straight, I think she would have gone for Yaya first. Most straight and bi girls I know prefer girlier girls, but that's just out of experience. Huh. Anyway, that's where that part came from. **

**MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks, and I'm planning on it!**

**GardenBeauty: Thanks! I'm glad you like the ShionXMiyuki plotline. It was hard to start, but hopefully it's starting to get deeper.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Eight: Anywhere You Want Me**

Miyuki lay on top of her bed- she hadn't bothered to change out of her uniform, and she was positive she looked a complete mess. It wasn't right, it wasn't okay- parents should not want their daughter sleeping with a man who had every intention to _have _her, as Shion had put it.

They had been shocked of course, but who were they to say no? Who were they to deny the man who would pay off their debts? The head sister hadn't wanted it, but her parents had insisted, and now they were the campus-length away, in the one of the guest rooms of the school.

Miyuki had known Hideshi wasn't the kind of man who she could grow to love- she knew she would never even trust him, but she had believed that he would care about maintaining a certain image in public.

_"I want to share the same room as my Miyuki tonight," _he had said. "_I want us to truly bond- to spend time with each other outside of these formal conditions."_

Shion was long gone by the time Hideshi had suggested the matter, and for the first time in her life, Miyuki felt completely alone, as if she were trapped and there was no way out. She hadn't realized how much she had come to rely on the Spican's comforting, if not overprotective, presence, and she found that, when Hideshi had suggested they share the room, she wouldn't have minded Shion being there, because she knew how she would react. Shion…Shion would have thrown all rules of polite society aside in that moment, all respect for Miyuki's decision… She'd been so angry when Hideshi simply put his arm around Miyuki's neck…but Shion hadn't been there, and now Miyuki wasn't there either. She was waiting for her…fiancé…to join her in bed.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

Miyuki scoffed at herself- had she really become so used to Shion's doting over her that she couldn't handle one night by herself? That she wanted the Spican to run in and save her?

_Yes. _

The door creaked open, and Miyuki remembered that she hadn't bothered to shut it all the way before she fell down on her bed- she hadn't felt the need to bother to do so. She'd skipped dinner, telling her parents and Hideshi that she wasn't hungry- that she'd had a big lunch, and taken the time she was given to curl up on her bed and pretend like she had the ability to act like she was eighteen instead of thirty for once. Quickly, she sat up and smoothed her uniform, all the while making up a smooth excuse. "Gomen, Hideshi-san. I was simply tired from the overexcitement of today that I-"

She turned, stopping in mid-sentence when the area that Hideshi's head should have occupied was empty. Lowering her line of vision, Miyuki found herself staring into the violet eyes of the Spican president, who had stopped in the doorway at the sound of her voice. "Expecting someone?" Shion finally asked hesitantly, walking in with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I…of course not," Miyuki sighed, sitting back down on her bed. "I just wanted to be prepared in case it was him." Of course she couldn't tell Shion. Stupid, adolescent dreams of romance and Prince Charming.

"Oh…" Shion said slowly, running her tongue along her top row of teeth nervously. "So, I was thinking."

"About?" Miyuki asked, one eyebrow raised. "Not what we talked about earlier…?"

"No," the Spican replied. "Well, yes, obviously, but that's not the reason I came here." She stopped at the foot of Miyuki's bed, staring down at it for an awkward moment before seating herself a few feet away from the Miator president. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. It was stupid of me to just storm out like that, but I just couldn't…" She shook her head vigorously. "Anyway, I was sitting in my room a few minutes ago and just thought that I shouldn't have left you alone in there."

"I was hardly alone, Shion," Miyuki said- there was no point in keeping up with honorifics now that the Spican had all but gotten down on one knee. "You forget Shizuma was there."

Shion grumbled under her breath. "Whatever," she muttered. "I just wanted to know if there's anything you talked about that I should know about? And if you don't tell me, I'll go to Chikaru."

Miyuki sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. It was a fifty-fifty for if Chikaru would tell Shion the truth or just send her away with that mysterious smile- however she had a bad feeling that the odds were stacked against her.

_"If he tries anything, I want you to tell me."_

But he hadn't- not yet, at least. And she didn't want Shion to lose control and just go at a grown man twice her size. Miyuki glanced over at the clock just above the door: seven-thirty. He would be back any minute now, and Shion didn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon. "He didn't try anything," she finally decided on- at least it was the truth. "You don't have anything to worry about."

Shion frowned. "Why would you say that?" she asked, seeming honestly confused. "Of course I have something to worry about, Miyuki, I…I've loved you for what feels like forever, and would you have nothing to worry about if the girl you loved was promised to someone else?"

Miyuki was about to spit back that she'd been in that situation before, and she hadn't been nearly as persistent, when one word in particular jumped out at her. "Love…? Shion…" She gazed at the Spican, who had her head tilted down, her posture notably smaller than usual. "You can't love me, Shion. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

The Spican laughed dryly, turning to face Miyuki and causing the bluenette's eyes to widen in alarm at the sight of her watery eyes. Shion swallowed hard, obviously trying to hold back tears. "You think I'm so fragile, don't you? That I have no idea what the situation is, that I'm powerless to help you, right?" she asked, her voice thick. "But I'm not, Miyuki," she said, her voice little more than a whisper, and she inched closer to Miyuki, pleading with the bluenette beside her. "I'm not powerless and I can help you."

"No, you can't," Miyuki snapped. "I'm not going to let you throw your reputation away for me, Shion. You have no idea of the amount of scorn my parents have brought on our family name that would transfer to you. Think, Shion- I know it's not something you spend a lot of time on when you're dead set on something, but I'm not going to let you destroy your life."

Shion gritted her teeth. "Will you cut that out already?" she practically yelled, turning so that she was fully facing a stunned Miyuki. "My family name has _more_ than enough pull to overlook anything that your parents have brought onto yours, and even if it _didn't_, I wouldn't care, because _I love you_, and I don't want you to marry him! I want you to smile again, _damnit _Miyuki!" She groaned, burying her face in her hands, muffling her next words. "I don't understand…why you won't accept my help. It's not ruining my life, and I'm fully aware of the fact that you don't love me. I just want to help, Miyuki. I _just _want to see you smile."

Miyuki felt her eyes well up with hot tears and her throat close up as a familiar, burning sensation lit up inside of her. _No. She wouldn't cry. Not anymore. _"Shion…" she began in a pained voice, "I'd never be able to look at myself again without feeling guilty for what I did to you if we went through with that. I think-"

"Stop!" Shion cried, holding her hands up to cut Miyuki off. "Just…stop. Stop thinking so much, Miyuki. Stop thinking about how everyone else is going to be affected. Be selfish for once."

Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "According to _you_, I am _always _selfish," she quipped, perhaps for the mere purpose of pushing Shion that little bit further.

Shion let out a low growl and suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Miyuki's wrists as she went. The two girls crashed down onto the bed with a low thud, Miyuki beneath Shion, who held her wrists above her head. "Just…stop," Shion murmured, and then closed the distance between them in one swift move, pressing her lips to Miyuki's as she straddled the thin girl between her legs. "Let me love you, Miyuki."

She had to stop this. She needed to get Shion out of here. Hideshi would be here any minute and oh _god_, her heart felt like it was on a carnival ride, and her body was tingling with the sensations that began at her lips and flowed through her nerves all the way down to the tips of her every finger. Slowly, she began to respond, and Shion's grip loosened on her wrists, the Spican's right hand effortlessly sliding up to intertwine their fingers above Miyuki's head while she balanced herself with her left, her blonde hair serving as a veil to the room around them.

Shion broke the kiss only to run her lips lower, down Miyuki's jaw and to her prominent collarbone, and into the crook of her neck. "Shion," Miyuki whispered, her voice hoarse with the desire burning within her. "Shion, you have to go."

"No I don't," the Spican replied, her voice muffled by Miyuki's skin. "I never have to go. I never have to leave you."

"Shion…" Miyuki wanted desperately for her to stay- the tone in which the words had been spoken made her want to believe every promise Shion made to her. But Shion had to go- everything always had to go, before she started to care. Before she fell in love. "You really have to…before…"

A shuffling of footsteps in the hallway caused Miyuki's eyes to snap open, and with a superhuman effort that she didn't think should have been possible from the way she was shaking all over, she shoved Shion away, unfortunately sending the poor girl toppling onto the floor. With only seconds to react, Miyuki quickly wiped her lips free of any evidence and straightened her uniform while Shion sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head.

Not a second later, Hideshi appeared in the doorway, thankfully unaccompanied by Miyuki's more perceptive parents. "I thought that dinner would never end, Miyuki, I-" His speech was cut short by the sight of a frazzled looking Miyuki sitting bolt upright while that same angry little blonde from earlier appeared to be nursing what looked like a nasty lump on her head. "You girls weren't fighting, were you? I hope I haven't been the cause of a rift between friends…" He chuckled at his arrogant joke, and Miyuki cringed.

From the floor, Shion puffed out her cheeks, blowing several strands of blonde hair from her face as she glared up at Hideshi.

"Of course not," Miyuki said with a practiced smile. "We were just speaking about some council issues, and we don't always see eye to eye, as anyone will tell you. Right, Shion?"

Shion grumbled under her breath as she stood, dusted herself off, and eyed Hideshi suspiciously. "I wouldn't say that," she said, and Miyuki wanted to punch Shion and kiss the blonde senseless at the same time. The Spican turned to Miyuki without addressing Hideshi. "What's he doing in here?"

Yeah, probably going to go with punching.

"Nothing, Shion," Miyuki stated hurriedly. "You might want to get back to the Spica dorms, though, considering how late it is."

Shion ignored Miyuki, her brow furrowed and her arms folded over her chest as she took a step in Hideshi's direction. Miyuki groaned internally. _Not the alpha-female thing… _She had made up her mind that she'd rather Shion not know about what was going on than have the Spican know and do something stupid that would affect her seriously.

Shion folded her hands behind her back, looking up at the man with 'innocent' curiosity. "I apologize, sir, it's just that we're such _close _friends," _damnit, Shion, _"and it hurts me terribly to know that she's keeping things from me, especially about her love life."

_Well, _Miyuki thought, _at least I know how she got Amane to run for Etoile. _

Hideshi chuckled and looked down at her patronizingly. "How sweet- girls these days are just so close to their friends," he said, then proceeded to reply, "I asked for permission to share Miyuki's room for my time here- just to get to know each other better, if you know what I mean." He winked.

Miyuki's eyes widened and suddenly the room seemed three sizes too small and getting smaller. No…not yet…she wasn't ready yet… Her eyes flickered to Shion, who was still facing Hideshi, her back to Miyuki, and all she could do was pray that the Spican reacted in the same fashion she'd been reacting in the entire day.

As she watched, the temperature in the room seemed to escalate several degrees- it was interesting, how different people could have different effects in their anger. When Chikaru was upset, the entire world seemed a few degrees colder, in accordance to her mysterious personality. Shion was more dominant and outspoken, so the temperature seemed to spike along with her anger. The Spican's posture tensed, and Miyuki watched as her hands began to curl slowly into fists- overall, the changes were miniscule, but the effect was one of a whole different person.

"Shion…" Miyuki found herself whispering- the Spican hadn't said a word yet, and her body language clearly displayed that she was much angrier than the Miator president had suspected she would be. "Calm down…"

And then the blonde whirled on her, storming back over to where Miyuki sat, her gaze meeting with the bluenette's for only a second. In that second, though, Miyuki saw a rage deeper than she'd ever seen in her life, tainted only by the tiniest traces of hurt and betrayal. Shion turned abruptly when she was only a few feet away from Miyuki, turning her gaze back to Hideshi, everything about her posture radiating possessiveness, and suddenly the bluenette realized what Shion was going to do.

Finally, Shion opened her mouth to speak.

"I think it's time we got a few things straight."

**PGBR**

"Did you see Toumori-sama earlier?"

"She looked like she was about to skewer someone alive," Yaya muttered in response to Tsubomi's question as they sat at the dinner table. Her arm was curved around Tsubomi's waist in a possessive gesture, her fingers dancing over the light fabric of the pinkette's sweater, every so often poking her, causing the tsundere to squeak girlishly. Tsubomi had rolled her eyes at the gesture at first- Yaya had spotted Sei eating at their table before they'd fully entered the dining hall, and within seconds the pinkette found herself glued to the brunette's side.

"Ah, you needn't worry about me, Yaya-chan!" Sei crooned to Yaya's displeasure, taking joy in Yaya's disgruntled reaction. "I'm leaving tonight."

"Really?" At this news, Yaya's mood seemed to increase by several notches while Tsubomi's took a noticeable hit.

"Yepyep," Sei affirmed. "I got a call from an old friend that I haven't seen in a while. She wants to meet up again." A slightly glazed look washed over the blonde's eyes before she snapped out of it and turned back to the two girls across from her. "Miss me already, Tsubomi-cha~n?" she asked with a sly smile that became a Cheshire grin when Yaya pulled Tsubomi tighter against her.

For her part, Tsubomi was lost in thought- she would miss the blonde, of course, but more importantly, she would miss what the blonde had done for her. She knew full well that the only reason Yaya was holding her so tightly was because she felt threatened by Sei. What would happen when there was no more blonde to be threatened by? As if reading her mind, Yaya pressed a kiss to the top of Tsubomi's head and bent down to whisper in her ear. "I know it took her to get me to admit my feelings," she murmured, "but don't think I'm going to risk such an adorable girl because the main irritant left."

Sei seemed to pick up on her last few words and frowned slightly at her word choice before brushing it off. "Yeah, well, there's this tradition we had at my old school," she said as a last idea hit her, and she leaned forward onto the table, closer to Tsubomi. "A girl I knew promised me a kiss before I graduated. Now, since we're never going to see each other again, won't you give me something to remember you by?"

Tsubomi blushed crimson, blinking rapidly, at a complete loss of what to do. Fortunately for her, the choice was made for her. Beside her, Yaya growled and tugged the pinkette right into her lap, pressing her lips to Tsubomi's neck, her eyes never leaving Sei's.

The blonde laughed it off. "Well, can't blame a girl for trying. Ja," she said with a nonchalant wave over her shoulder as she stood and headed out of the dining hall, followed closely by Hikari, who agreed to see her to the gates.

Tsubomi sighed, feeling the growl radiating from within the brunette behind her. "She's gone now, you can stop with the staking," she said dryly, though her cheeks were flushed. "You're hopeless, Yaya-sempai."

"And you're cute, Tsubomi-kouhai," Yaya replied cheekily, scooping Tsubomi up into her arms despite the pinkette's loud protests and carrying her off to their shared dormitory.

**PGBR**

Across the room, Chikaru observed in silence as Shizuma fed Nagisa bites of food and Tamao watched with that sad, broken smile, never interfering, always…watching.

She sighed slightly, wondering when everything had gotten so complicated, and why no one could ever fall in love with the one who loved them back.

**Yes, I totally wrapped up Sei's plot in a convenient storyline just for the sake of expanding this story. Hope you all don't mind too much! I do prefer to keep things within universe.**


	9. Don't Ever Let Me Go

**Kaizer20: I was actually thinking Youko with Sei =P That was the whole Miyuki thing, but then I was like, wait, Sei was still in high school…o_O**

**XRosarioX: Thanks! And I always forget to review too xD**

**Themightymustachex3: Thanks, I'm glad you like all the pairings! I adore YayaxTsubomi as well.**

**Stravri: I figured stubbornness was one of Miyuki's main traits, plus she's growing to care about Shion and doesn't want her to get hurt.**

**Huggler: I didn't spend much time on them because I was going to start on them when Yaya and Tsubomi's plot got straightened out. I was leading into their plotline at the end of the last chapter.**

**RomanticVulcanolight: None taken- I didn't think I could pull it off either, to be honest xD I just figured that the Stopani fandom was dying and the idea just…came to me. And thanks! This scene was kind of hard to write, just because of all the necessary dialogue and body language and what not.**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Eight: Don't Ever Let Me Go**

Hideshi stared down at the angry little blonde her, his brow furrowed in confusion. She appeared to be blocking his path from his fiancé, and her body was puffed up just about as big as it could be and yet…something about her pose struck fear into his heart.

"Um…okay?" he stated wearily.

Behind Shion, Miyuki had drawn her knees up to her chest. It was just her, Shion, and a man who could easily put both of them in the hospital if he wanted to. Her heart racing, it became hard for her to breathe and she blindly reached out, only to feel her hand become encased within a stronger, more confident one.

Shion, holding Miyuki's hand with her right, was posed with her left hand on her hip, glaring viciously at the man before her. "You are not to touch her," the Spican said, her tone firm and dangerous. "You are not to look at her the way I _know _you have been and you are _not _to marry her, do you understand?" Her words just barely slipped past her gritted teeth, and Miyuki clung more tightly to her hand- she had no choice but to accept the help Shion had been trying to offer in this confrontation.

Hideshi blinked several times before laughing in disbelief as Miyuki cringed further behind Shion. "You think I'm going to listen to you?" he asked, his smile fading as he stepped closer to Shion, looming over her in an attempt to assert his dominance in the situation. "You think you have the power to do _anything _about this arrangement?" He paused, his small eyes darting from Shion to Miyuki and back to the angry blonde before him before he barked out another laugh. "You actually love her, don't you?" he asked, his eyes dancing maliciously. "You love my fiancé."

"Yes, I do," Shion spat, her body trembling with suppressed rage, "and I've put up with you and your disgusting attempts at seducing her for longer than I thought was possible, but congratulations- you took it too far this time."

"Who are you to tell me what I do with my fiancé?" Hideshi asked in a low voice, leaning over so that he was directly in the blonde's face. Shion wrinkled her nose- his breath stank of alcohol. Her posture broke momentarily- what would have happened if she hadn't been here? What would Miyuki have allowed him to do? Yet another dose of rage boiled within her, threatening to spill over to the surface. "She's my property- she belongs to _me_."

Forcing herself to keep a calm exterior, Shion dropped Miyuki's hand and took a step forward, trying her best to make up for her lack in height and strength with her pride and determination. "Ever heard of Toumori Kenjou?" she asked lowly, her lips curling into a smirk when the man went pale. "I could _ruin _you," she hissed, so lowly that it was just more than a whisper, but in the tiny confines of the room, it might as well have been a shout. "My father's been looking for an excuse to throw your pathetic ass in jail for more than ten years- don't think I need solid proof, because I guarantee you if you try _anything _with Miyuki, I will _destroy _you." She stepped back slowly, her hate-filled violet eyes never leaving his. "Do you understand?"

Hideshi gulped, his Adam's Apple quivering. This wasn't the time for false bravado- he had more of a record than he would care to admit. "So if I stay in the guest house, and don't touch Miyuki before our marriage, you'll leave me alone?" he asked, attempting to keep a calm exterior.

Shion scoffed, her lips twisting into an angry sneer. "You lost that privilege by having the nerve to show up here tonight," the Spican spat. "I was five seconds away from bringing my family name into this anyway, and this…" she gestured to the room at large, shaking her head, not having the words to describe the situation, "this just cost you your fiancée."

Miyuki gasped from behind her, not even noticing as the hot tears finally escaped her eyes. She hated it- hated the situation for rendering her so powerless, so weak. It was the whole reason she'd hidden her emotions, relying instead on her stern, emotionless façade. Now all the emotions were rushing at her and her everything was dependent upon the blonde in front of her.

_"You were always such a crybaby, Miyuki."_

_ "Nobody's going to come along and save you. There's no Prince Charming waiting to jump in before you say 'I do'."_

Hideshi's eye twitched, and his hands curled into fists. Shion noticed the gesture and simply raised her eyebrows, unlike Miyuki, who had desperately hissed her name, begging her not to get herself hurt. It was one thing after another, gone- always, always gone. "I hope you're not trying to threaten me," Shion stated bluntly. "Because I guarantee you, if anything happens to Miyuko or myself, you'll be dealing with the entirety of the council's families combined. Including Hanazono Enterprises- lay one finger on either of us, especially her, and I guarantee you that Ryoji Hanazono will have your head on a platter." She paused for a second, enjoying the pasty white color that the man had taken on. "That is, of course, if I don't kill you first. You have no idea how much I want to tear you apart right now. If I had my way, you'd be in a thousand tiny, shippable pieces right now. But then I'd be the one sent off, and I made a promise, you see." She looked over at Miyuki and her eyes softened for just a moment before she turned back to Hideshi. "You're going to go to the Rokujous tonight with your bags packed, and you are going to tell them that you refuse to marry Miyuki after all- that you realized she was far too good for a scumbag such as yourself. And you're going to tell them that Shion Toumori is willing to pay any price for the hand of their daughter. Then, regardless of their answer, in a few months' time, you'll be receiving a restraining order in the mail, and you're going to sign it, and you're never going to touch, see, or even think about _my _fiancée ever again, understood?"

Hideshi's hands clenched into fists, and for a minute it looked like he was going to hit Shion, but he seemed to think better of it. "I understand," he said through gritted teeth, eyeing the Spican with utter loathing. "I apologize for my behavior."

"Apology not accepted," Shion replied coldly. "Do as I said."

He stood in the doorway for a moment, his eyes shifting from the trembling, broken-looking Miyuki to the blonde who had transformed from an impertinent schoolgirl to a spitting cobra. Finally, he shoved out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

**PGBR**

Chikaru placed her thumb against her bottom lip absently, staring at the two empty seats across from her. Shizuma was pacing, looking as if she were ready to kick some ass at the drop of a pin.

Suddenly the door burst open, and both girls' heads shot up only to be met with the sight of a timid looking bluenette. "The head sister told me to inform you that the meeting was cancelled," Tamao said hesitantly. She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to say her next words. "She called me into her office, and the man who was with Miyuki all day was sitting across from her, looking like he'd pass out any minute. As I was leaving I heard the head sister say something about him not coming within miles of the school, and that if he dared to press charges, he'd be facing the wrath of the entire student body," Tamao finished, cowering slightly beneath Shizuma's enraged expression. But to her surprise, the previous Etoile, the only girl in the world who truly hated her, stopped on her way out of the room to thank her gruffly before storming up the stairs, most likely into the head sister's office.

Tamao hesitated in the doorway- her dorm room was past the office, and she really wasn't sure she wanted to be sucked into World War III.

"Tamao-chan."

Tamao glanced up at the sound of her name, her violet gaze meeting with Chikaru's smiling eyes. "Thank you," the Le Rim president said, smiling sweetly tiredly from her seat. Slowly, Tamao made her way forward and took the seat beside her.

"Um…" she began. "It may not be any of my business, but…"

Chikaru sighed. "My guess is that Rokujou-san's fiancé went a bit too far, and didn't account for the fact that Shion-chan had gone up to check on her a few minutes earlier," she said, remembering Shion's muttered excuse when the Spican had left dinner early. "I do hate to judge people, but there was something about that man that made me afraid for Rokujou-san's safety. I might have mentioned a thing or two to Shion-chan to encourage her to check up on her."

"That was good of you," Tamao stated with a kind smile. "You're always doing the right thing, Chikaru-sama," she added as she sat back in her chair, her posture slightly hunched, her eyes focused on her hands clasped in her lap. "Sometimes I wonder how it must feel to always know the right thing to do. Whenever I'm unsure, I always run away or pretend everything's fine; whenever Yaya-chan's unsure, she does just the opposite and pushes and pushes until she's lost whatever she wanted in the first place. But she has Tsubomi-chan now, and I have…" She broke off, and Chikaru could see a single tear slip down her cheek, glistening in the somewhat dim light.

Chikaru got up out of her seat and pulled Tamao gently into her arms without a word, every new shake of the girl's shoulders tearing a wider hole in her heart. "Tamao-chan," she said, pulling away slightly when the bluenette's sobs had lessened and taking the girl's chin in her fingertips, raising her eyes to meet hers, "you said Yaya-san has Tsubomi-chan now?"

Tamao frowned, wondering why that was the part that Chikaru was focusing on. "Yes," she said, too tired to really care. "I'm happy for her, really- Tsubomi-chan is so much better for her than Hikari-chan ever could have been. She hurt herself so much trying to make Hikari-chan happy, and when she couldn't stand it anymore, Hikari-chan only hurt her more. She never cared about her, not the way she deserved, and I don't know why Tsubomi-chan stuck by her side even when it seemed like Yaya-chan would stay in the cave she buried herself in forever, but she did. And I think Yaya-chan is much happier now that she has Tsubomi-chan. I think she would have been miserable with Hikari-chan."

Chikaru nodded sagely before dropping down into the chair beside Tamao, turning herself so that she was facing the bluenette head on, her eyes boring into Tamao's. "So perhaps, then," she began, brushing the tear away with the pad of her thumb, "there is someone out there who is better for you than Nagisa-san ever could have been, hmm? There are not so many differences between Nagisa-san and Hikari-san, after all. Love is hardly ever where you look for it, Tamao-chan. You have to wait for it to come to you, and then you have to take a chance before the opportunity leaves you." She smiled winningly at Tamao until the younger girl broke into a small smile of her own.

"I guess so," Tamao said hesitantly, biting her lip. "I just...how long is it going to take? How long am I going to love her until someone else comes along?"

Chikaru ran a hand through the blunette's hair gingerly. "No one can say for sure," she said, "but it might come sooner than you think." With those words, she brushed Tamao's bangs back just long enough to press a kiss to the girl's forehead and hesitated there for a moment before straightening and quietly exiting the council room, leaving a confused bluenette behind.

**PGBR**

"It's cold."

Yaya heaved an exaggerated sigh. "You complain too much," she stated, grinning when Tsubomi huffed and turned away from her. The brunette was lying on her back, her left arm behind her head while her right arm held her pinkette close. With the cool night air and the scent of rain in the air, Tsubomi was nearly on top of her girlfriend, cuddling her for warmth. "We won't be out here too much longer. I wouldn't want my cute little tsundere to catch a cold," she stated with a smirk. It quickly disappeared when she sneezed quite suddenly, almost knocking Tsubomi out of her lap.

The pinkette laughed loudly, glad to have a chance to throw Yaya's teasing back in her face. "I don't know," she said sweetly. "It would seem as though I have a stronger immune system than Yaya-sempai. However, I guess this proves that saying wrong- it seems that idiots really _can _get sick."

"Or maybe I'm just smarter than you give me credit for," Yaya shot back in the same obnoxious voice, causing Tsubomi to scoff. "You don't have to be so mean about it," she muttered sullenly as the pinkette in her arms giggled maniacally. _Stupid karma._

Tsubomi maneuvered herself so that she was straddling her taller girlfriend. _Her _girlfriend. Not Hikari's, no anybody else's. _Hers. _Finally. Her heart raced in her chest and she bent down, closer to the grinning brunette so that their lips were only inches away, their noses just barely touching. Yaya's eyes flashed and suddenly they were kissing, Yaya's arms wrapped loosely around Tsubomi's waist while the pinkette braced herself on the grass on either side of her. "You're not very patient," Tsubomi mumbled as they broke apart and Yaya punctuated their kiss with a small peck on her nose.

"Come on, Tsubomi-chan," Yaya said with a crooked smile. "Anyone would think you didn't know me at all."

"Maybe I just wish Yaya-sempai would grow up a little bit," Tsubomi replied haughtily, rearranging herself so that her arms were wrapped around the brunette's neck, hugging her like a teddy bear.

"Hmm," Yaya hummed, her fingers tracing patterns on the pinkette's back, "you know, I think I've put up with the whole 'sempai' thing long enough."

"B-but you a_re _my sempai!" Tsubomi spluttered, sitting up so that she was resting on Yaya's hips. "It's basic courtesy!"

Yaya grinned at Tsubomi's heavy blush and sat up, holding onto the younger girl's hips so Tsubomi wouldn't fall over backwards. "But I am also your girlfriend," she said, punctuating the statement with a brief but meaningful kiss. "And if you go around calling me sempai all the time, it might give people certain ideas…"

Tsubomi's face instantly flushed tomato red, and she spluttered helplessly for several moments while Yaya laughed. "B-baka!" she shrieked, trying to leap up from the brunette's lap only to be pulled back down. She settled for smacking Yaya in the back of the head. "You're the only hentai who would think something like that!"

"Ouchie~ please be gentle with me, Tsubomi-chaaan!"

"BAKA!"

**Right, well, there you have it- the confrontation as well as some TamaoXChikaru beginnings =)**


	10. Falling to Pieces and Coming Together

**romancejunky: It was just a typo. The keys are right next to each other and I touch-type, so it can happen sometimes.**

**MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks! And I've been planning on putting them together- I'm not sure if I'm going to continue Strawberry Triangles. It just didn't get off to a good start…**

**XRosarioX: I'm glad- actually I prefer Shion with Chikaru, but I thought, "Why not?" And sorry for the semi-slow update; I had a case of writer's block for a while =P**

**Stavri: I am planning some Shion/Miyuki fluff in the near future.**

**Huggler: I actually didn't plan to write them as being exactly friendly, just because (at least in the mangas) Shizuma really didn't like Tamao at all. I figured it'd be kind of like a truce. I also love Shion/Chikaru- I guess I just kind of wanted to try something different.**

**Kaizer20: Sorry about the wait; writer's block =P And do you mean you and her are alike? Chikaru/Tamao will happen, though it might be a slow process, what with Tamao's Nagisa-obsession.**

**Kaze Rei: Yep, Shion was a pimp =P I don't necessarily like crybaby!Miyuki, but it was a central theme in the anime, so I was like, "Why not?"**

**GardenBeauty: Thanks!**

**Also, I feel you should know that I'm basing Shion after manga-Shion, just because she had more interaction with Miyuki (and she's totally hotter. No, really. Google it.)**

**I just took a Strawberry Panic personality test and got Amane… *prepares to hang self* But I think it's just because they had a bunch of stupid questions like, "OMG a poodle!" and "I ran out of questions"…plus I'm kind of quiet at first…but still…usually I get Tamao, Hikari or even Yaya once…but Amane…my life has no purpose…**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Nine: Falling to Pieces and Coming Together**

Miyuki stared at Shion's back, noting her still-rigid form, even now that Hideshi was gone. "Shion…," she began quietly, unsure of what was coming next.

"You weren't going to tell me," the blonde murmured, her back still turned to Miyuki. "You were going to let him take advantage of you and-"

"It's not like I had a choice," Miyuki snapped. "The only reason I didn't argue was so that it would be over more quickly. It's not as if I was in a position to refuse. And now…" Now the true nature of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "Now we're…"

"Engaged?" Shion asked, turning to face her, her arms still folded over her chest. Slowly she strode over to the bed and sat down a few feet from Miyuki. "Is that such a huge issue? At least you're free of your parents now- you're free of _everything_. It's not like I'm going to force you to stay with me or anything." Shion's tone had grown gradually lower until she was practically growling her last few lines, her pride injured by what she thought had caused Miyuki's hesitance.

Miyuki sighed, knowing Shion well enough to know what was going through the Spican's mind. "I just don't want you to be tied down so early, Shion," she said, sounding exhausted. "You've got this great career waiting for you after college, and I'm not going to be anything more than a housewife."

"I don't _care_!" Shion exploded, turning to Miyuki with a fierce look on her face. "I don't care if that's all you ever are, and I don't care if you're so much more! I just want you to be happy, Miyuki- it's why I won't make you stay with me! You have no idea how much I wish I could just tell you to marry me and have you actually _want _to instead of practically forcing you into it for your own good!"

Miyuki blinked several times, taken completely off guard. "You want to marry me?"

Shion stared at her with half-lidded eyes, wondering how the Miator president could _possibly _have managed to mistake her intentions. "Um…I kind of hoped that part would be obvious," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I don't mean you want to marry me because you want to save me," Miyuki clarified, her eyebrow raised. "You said you wanted to marry me without forcing me into it for my own good."

The Spican maintained her look of confusion for several seconds before she finally seemed to catch on- at least that's the impression Miyuki got from her violet eyes widening comically. "Uh, no," she said quickly, then frowned. "Well, I mean, yes, but we're too young to get married, and I know I've only just stopped being a total prat to you. But, I mean, I think…I know that if you asked me when I was older the answer would still be the same." She took a deep breath and looked into Miyuki's eyes, for the first time really seeing the fear that was hidden behind them. "I love you, Miyuki, more than I've ever loved anyone before. And I know that it's not ideal, but please do this- if not for you then for me. I won't be able to live with myself knowing I let you stay in this horrible situation."

"You're kind of cute when you get flustered, you know," Miyuki said quietly- flirting was far and away out of her nature, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Spican fumble around for words and blushing like she was. "I've been prepared to marry since I was ten, Shion," she finally said. "It's not the age thing that bothers me. It's that I don't want to ruin your life before it's even begun." She closed her eyes as if it would all disappear when she woke up; as if she'd find that Shion was still her usual, cutthroat self and she had never even met Hideshi. In a way, it would be preferable to this, trying to save Shion from something she was certainly going to regret. Maybe not now, but in a few years- Miyuki knew full well that she was capable of loving the Spican, but after having watched her parents' marriage being reduced to biting insults on her father's side and heartbroken tears on her mother's side, she didn't know what to believe anymore.

Miyuki was jerked from her thoughts by the sudden appearance of a warm weight only inches from her, and she turned only to be met by a pair of stunning violet eyes. For some reason she felt as if she couldn't move- shouldn't move until she understood the emotion lying behind them. And then it hit her hard over the head like a two-by-four, and vaguely she wondered if this was how Yaya felt all the time. No wonder she was so different… "You love me," Miyuki murmured in a whisper, as if the words would become a lie if she spoke them any louder. "You…really love me, don't you?"

Shion frowned slightly, sitting up on the bed. "Of course I love you," she said. "Haven't I been telling you that for the past month?" Miyuki wouldn't meet her inquisitive gaze. "Is it really that hard to believe that someone loves you?" she asked incredulously, her next words catching in her throat when the bluenette threw her arms around her neck. Shion sat there, unresponsive for a moment before she wrapped her arms tightly around Miyuki, frowning when the other girl started to shiver. "Are you cold?" she asked. She felt the girl shake her head against her shoulder and frowned. "Then what is…" At that moment Shion felt a drop of something wet hit her uniform, and then another, and another.

She pulled away from Miyuki, her eyes wide as she saw that the bluenette was in tears. "Oh no," she muttered. "Please don't cry, Miyuki, I'll do anything…"

The pleading tone in her voice was enough to make Miyuki choke out a watery laugh, wiping her eyes on her uniform. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice hurts. "Only Shizuma really knows how much of a crybaby I can be."

"I-it's not that!" Shion stated loudly, so much so that Miyuki winced. "I just hate it when you cry," she said in a quieter tone, pulling the bluenette back into her arms and hugging her tightly to her chest.

After a few minutes, Miyuki seemed to calm down and she blinked away the remainder of her tears. "I need to get changed," she noted, looking down at her undeniably wrinkled uniform. "And you really need to go now, before the head sister catches you." She was quickly regaining her stern exterior.

Shion frowned. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to leave you alone tonight," she said bluntly. "Besides, I don't think the head sister will make a big deal out of it, considering everything that's happened tonight."

"You're too stubborn," Miyuki sighed as she stood and headed for her wardrobe. Not a second later, she found herself being pulled back into another embrace as Shion buried her head into her shoulder.

"And you aren't?" the blonde asked lowly, pressing a kiss to Miyuki's temple. "Just let me stay, alright? We can talk about everything tomorrow."

Sighing, Miyuki turned in Shion's arms so that she was facing the blonde completely. "Fine," she said with a sigh, and before the Spican could say anything else, she drew Shion closer by placing a firm hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. "Just this once."

Shion smiled again- that smile that was still so new to Miyuki- and pulled the bluenette flush against her, dropping her lips down onto the trembling lips of the Miator president. "I bet I can change your mind," she murmured between kisses, and then fell forward, landing on top of Miyuki on the bed.

**PGBR**

Even calm, level-headed Chikaru had to admit that watching Tamao fawn over Nagisa was one part irritating and two parts heartbreaking. She wondered if this was how the bluenette felt all the time.

They were out by the lake, all of them- Shizuma had called their friends out after their classes were over for the day to discuss something that she hadn't divulged to anyone at the moment. And yet…Shizuma seemed to be the only one missing. Generally one could blame this on Nagisa, but the redhead was sitting right by the bank of the lake, next to an adoring Tamao. Chikaru swallowed back the sour taste with practiced ease.

On the outside, it appeared that everyone had their happy ending- Nagisa and Tamao were practically glued at the hip, giggling together, and anyone would have thought they were a couple. But nobody with two brain cells to rub together could have gotten closer and not seen the sadness and heartbreak in the bluenette's eyes.

Yaya and Tsubomi were seated a bit further up the hill, the pinkette resting her head drowsily on the brunette's chest, her arms wrapped around her waist. But a closer look might have revealed that the pinkette's hands were clasped just a little too tightly around the brunette, and that both of their eyes were somehow drawn to an angelic-looking blonde. It was their expressions that betrayed their true emotions- one set of eyes looked upon Hikari uneasily, almost fearfully, while the other looked upon her simply out of habit, out of subconscious want.

The blonde in question was seated only a few yards away from the couple, beside Amane, though there were a few feet of space between them, and Hikari kept shooting glances at her best friend. They lessened somewhat when she was greeted with a territorial glare from a certain pinkette, however.

Only a few yards away from Chikaru herself, Miyuki and Shion were huddled together, the blonde positioned in between the bluenette's legs as the other girl ran her hands through her hair gently, almost as a wife might do a husband. Shion, Chikaru noticed, looked utterly content, her body at ease for the first time since they were children. Miyuki, on the other hand…her eyes were clouded over with something new- it was almost as if her fingers were moving of their own accord as she stared out into the darkening sky.

Chikaru sighed- was it too much to ask for just one happy ending?

At that moment, Shizuma made her way down to the lakeside next to Nagisa, pointedly putting herself between the redhead and Tamao before turning to the rest of the girls. "We're going on a trip!" she cried excitedly. "I've gotten us all the next week off, so go and pair up or whatever you have to do. I'm with Nagisa-chan!"

This news made Chikaru smile just slightly- things might just be taking a turn for the better, she thought as she stared down at the back of Tamao's head.

**PGBR**

Tsubomi clung closer to Yaya, her fingers curling unconsciously at the brunette's side as she glared at Hikari and snuggled further into Yaya's chest, staking her claim as best she could.

"Not another one of Shizuma-sama's insane ideas," Tsubomi muttered into the brunette's chest, trying to pull Yaya's attention back to her. She knew that Yaya had chosen her over Hikari, but she couldn't help but wonder if she only did it to know whether Hikari was serious. Tsubomi wasn't stupid- she knew the rules of love. There was no competing with 'the first girl', no matter how hard you tried. The best she could do was hold on tightly and pray that it was tight enough. "I'm not going," she huffed, trying to fold her arms over her chest before remembering that she was still attached to Yaya.

That same brunette grinned playfully, leaning on her right elbow so she was staring down into the very pink face of her girlfriend. "Stop being such an old lady, Tsubomi-chaaan," she sang, poking the pinkette's chipmunk cheeks. "You'll get wrinkles."

"And that would be a pity, wouldn't it?" Tsubomi muttered, suddenly tightening her hold on Yaya as Hikari looked back at them.

"Mhm," Yaya said with a definitive nod. "Tsubomi-chan wouldn't be as cute if she was all wrinkly…I wouldn't be nearly as tempted to-"

Tsubomi clapped her hand over her outspoken girlfriend's mouth not a second too soon- it was becoming a habit. She wasn't sure if she should consider it a good thing or a bad thing that she was so used to stopping Yaya from blurting out everything that was on her mind. "Shut up, baka!" she hissed under her breath before shrieking as something warm and wet caressed her palm. "EEWW! Yaya-_sempai_!"

Yaya pouted slightly. "What did I tell you about the sempai, Tsu-bo-mi-chan?" she asked, her lower lip pushed out so far that she looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Baka!" Tsubomi flushed, effectively disentangling herself and folding her arms over her chest only to be pulled back into Yaya's arms. "Stop making that face!"

"Then call me Yaya."

Tsubomi looked as if someone had asked her to kill her little brother. "B-but…that's so…that's not polite at all!" she stuttered, then her face dimmed significantly. "Then again, I don't see the point in trying to impress _you_…"

Yaya grinned and pressed a kiss to a flustered Tsubomi's lips. "Then just Yaya-chan for now?" she asked, staring imploringly at the pinkette until she nodded reluctantly. "Yay! My Tsubomi-chan LOVES me!" she shouted, drawing the attention of every girl sitting by the lake. Tsubomi instantly turned tomato red and smacked the brunette upside the head.

"Shut up, baka!" she snapped, "I do not! And I'm not _your _Tsubomi-chan!"

For half a second, Yaya's expression changed, but before Tsubomi could place her new expression, the brunette was grinning once more, her lips pressed to the pinkette's neck. "Maybe not yet you're not…" she murmured before biting down, causing Tsubomi to shriek and swat her off.

"Not in _public_!" Tsubomi snapped. She was about to scold Yaya more when she caught Hikari walking over to them. Her jaw clicked shut and the pinkette attached herself to a confused Yaya, who wrapped an arm around her waist nonetheless. Tsubomi snuggled into the embrace and proceeded to fix Hikari with a surprisingly effective glare. "What is it, Hikari-sempai? It's just that we're a little busy at the moment."

She was silenced by Yaya, who sent her a confused glare before turning to Hikari. "Hey, Hikari," she said with the crooked smile that Tsubomi had grown to love. However, now it only caused her to feel as if someone had forced her to swallow a rock. "What's up?"

Hikari's cheeks flushed and she stared down at her hands. "Well, you know how I just broke up with Amane-sempai?" Yaya nodded, wondering where this was going. Tsubomi's glare rose a few notches, because she was significantly more perceptive than her girlfriend and already knew where this was going. "I was just wondering if you'd mind sharing a room with me," Hikari continued, interrupted by an angry growl from Tsubomi. She looked alarmed for a moment, but decided to continue anyway. "Just because it might be awkward with just me and Amane sempai."

Yaya opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a fuming pinkette. Tsubomi had just about enough of this- she hadn't said anything to Hikari before because Hikari was _Hikari_, and no one wanted to upset her. But now she had feelings for Yaya and was some very real competition, and Tsubomi refused to stand down. "I don't know if you're deliberately ignoring our relationship or if you're just blind, but Yaya-sempai is _not _going to be sharing a room with you," she snapped, standing up and moving into Hikari's personal space. "You had your chance, Hikari-sempai, and you threw it away for a girl you didn't know anything about. Now it's my turn, and I'm not going to give her up to anyone, especially someone who obviously doesn't have any clue how amazing she is!"

She finished her little tirade with a huff, panting slightly, her heart racing in her chest. It was the first time she'd ever stood up to a sempai, but damn it, Yaya was hers, and she'd waited long enough to make it that way! Tsubomi felt a tug at her skirt and she saw Yaya gazing up at her imploringly. Taking the hint, she knelt down beside her sempai.

"Tsubomi-chan," Yaya said slowly, and right away the pinkette adopted a defensive demeanor. The brunette sighed. "I can't force her to share with Amane-san."

"Then she can switch with someone else," Tsubomi growled, her arms firmly placed over her chest.

"Tsubomi…you know what Hikari's like. She's too shy for that," Yaya said in that same soft, reasonable tone that Tsubomi had heard her sister's boyfriends use with her countless times. "She's still one of my best friends, whether you like it or not."

"I don't _care _if you're friends!" Tsubomi snapped. "What I care about is that she has feelings for you and you're actually considering sharing a room with her!"

Yaya chanced a roguish grin. "Don't you trust me, Tsubomi-chan?"

Tsubomi just scoffed. "Why would I trust you with the girl you were so devoted to only weeks ago?" she asked. Yaya sighed.

"I'm not going to turn her down because you have a problem with it, Tsubomi-chan," she said lowly, and turned back to Hikari. "That's fine, Hikari- Tsubomi can share with Amane-san."

Beside her, Tsubomi attempted to swallow that stupid rock in her throat, but only wound up having trouble breathing. A single tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it roughly away before Yaya could see it. She watched through clouded vision as Hikari waltzed back towards Amane and Yaya slowly turned back to her. "I promise nothing's going to happen," Yaya finally said, leaning in for a kiss, but was met instead with a sharp slap across her face. She stared at the pinkette, open-mouthed. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for agreeing to share a room with Hikari-sempai after I _told _you I wasn't okay with it," Tsubomi snapped before getting to her feet and storming away, leaving a confused Yaya behind.

**PGBR**

Chikaru watched the scene as it panned out before her.

_Then again, maybe not…_

**Sorry for the short and probably terrible chapter- I hate these in-between action chapters =P**


	11. All Again for You

**MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks! And she wouldn't be Yaya if she wasn't stupid =P**

**Huggler: I'm trying =P I'm about to start college, though. And thank you- it's a pretty big deal when your writing actually evokes emotions in people, so thanks =)**

**Kaze Rei: Yeah, Yaya's a little thickheaded sometimes =P**

**XRosarioX: Yeah, Shion and Chikaru are an OTP of mine. Really I only did Shion/Miyuki because I wanted to see if I could xD And thanks- it's just that it's pretty apparent that the faster you update at first, the more impatient people get for more chapters =P And I'm starting college REALLY soon (or at least moving out).**

**Stavri: Thanks =)**

**RomanticVulcanolight: Thanks =) And don't worry- as if I'd ever give Yaya to that two-bit whore =P /doesn't like Hikari much/**

**GardenBeauty: Thanks =) And it's not a stupid question- I had to google it when I first started using it. It just means Page Break, and I use it because FFn rejects all my other page break options for some gay reason =P**

**Xxnatxx: Thanks =)**

**Kaizer20: I don't mind =) I don't understand people who turn off anonymous reviews, anyway. To me a review is a review =P I find that I don't like the Chikaru/Tamao pairing enough to do a story on it- at least, I like Chikaru/Shion so much that I'd probably end up going WAY off tangent with the purpose of the story =P **

**Suicchin: Thanks =)**

**Sorry for the huge delay- I've finally moved in to college, and have about a week before classes start. I'll try to update more frequently, and hopefully everyone will keep reading =)**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Ten: All Again for You**

Tsubomi's arms were folded tightly over her chest- the bus they'd taken was air-conditioned despite the cold weather, and she was only wearing her usual light sweatshirt. Yaya had attempted to put an arm around the pinkette's shoulders an admirable amount of times, but Tsubomi (reluctantly) shrugged her off within several seconds. She had to know that this wasn't acceptable anymore- that Hikari couldn't be priority number one for _her _Yaya anymore. Tsubomi had put up with it for a year, and God help her if she put up with it for longer.

Only…she was terrified to present Yaya with the ultimatum because deep inside her she was terrified that Yaya would choose Hikari over her. It was an understandable fear, the pinkette reasoned, given Yaya's hopelessly devoted personality. She felt a sudden weight land on her shoulders again, and she shrugged it away, again, but this time the weight didn't disappear.

"This is getting a little stupid," Yaya muttered beside her, pulling Tsubomi in close so that she could hear her. "You're freezing- anyone could see that."

"I was doing just fine by myself," Tsubomi snapped, shoving Yaya away with both arms this time, but her strength was pathetic in comparison to the brunette's.

"You're overreacting," Yaya said bluntly. "I know you're doing this because of what happened with Hikari-"

Tsubomi jerked away and glared up at the brunette. "If you know I'm doing it because of her, why did you agree?" she asked, eyes shining with hurt. "How would you feel if I agreed to share a room with someone like Sei-sempai?"

Yaya's jaw clenched reflexively and she reached out, wrapping an arm around Tsubomi again, though she didn't allow the pinkette to escape. Yaya had a pronounced possessive streak, and the mere mention of the blonde's name was enough to make her want to take Tsubomi right there. "It's different," she finally muttered.

Tsubomi huffed. "It is not," she replied shortly. And it wasn't really- though Yaya preferred to show off her possessiveness for the world to see and Tsubomi preferred to keep it hidden, the pinkette was known to get quite horribly jealous. "Move your arm, Yaya-baka."

The brunette ignored her girlfriend's protests- it was her right to keep an arm around the pinkette, and she wasn't about to give that up, especially when Tsubomi was like this. Despite her protests, she knew that Tsubomi secretly loved the attention, and it would be even worse if she let go of her.

**PGBR**

Miyuki found herself blinking back sleep, her head resting against Shion's chest, the blonde's arm wrapped snuggly around her waist. The Spican had been even more protective around her since the incident with Hideshi, and Miyuki couldn't say she wasn't enjoying it at least a little bit. She felt slender fingers running through her hair and leaned into the touch involuntarily, sighing in contentment when Shion's arm tightened around her.

"This isn't really like you," Miyuki commented after a moment, lightly tugging at Shion's wrist, which was resting on her thigh.

Shion looked surprised for a moment and Miyuki felt the body beneath her tense, almost as if the Spican was wondering whether she was out of line or not. The blunette barely held back a giggle at the blonde's flustered expression. "Uh…I'm sorry," Shion said after a moment, moving to remove her arm, but Miyuki held fast.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," the Miator president clarified. "I was just confused. You're acting quite…chivalrous."

Shion frowned, almost as if the comment wounded her. "Am I not usually?" she asked, visibly affronted.

Miyuki rolled her eyes. "No, usually you're hardheaded and difficult," she said, squeezing the sulking blonde's hand in reassurance. "What's changed?"

The Spican shrugged, relaxing once again with her arm draped over the blunette. "I don't know…it's just instinct I guess," she said. "I mean, we're kind of engaged now, and I kind of figured since I was the one proposing, I'd be the man…"

Miyuki couldn't hold back her laughter at this statement, causing a once-again sulking Shion to remove her arm entirely. "That's your logic?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked, and she was hit by a flash of déjà vu when Shion's eyes laser-focused on her own, arms folded over her chest. It was just like their council arguments. "I'm sorry, but isn't that just…kind of flawed? The man in the relationship, if there _must _be one, should be the more dominant partner, not the one who proposed."

Shion grumbled and sunk lower in her seat, leaving Miyuki to slip back closer to her fiancée (or fiancé, as Shion seemed to prefer), unfolding one of the Spican's arms and wrapping it around herself. Shion didn't resist, but mumbled something that Miyuki didn't quite catch.

"What was that?" the blunette asked, leaning against Shion's shoulder as the Spican finally tightened her arm around her waist once more.

"I said," Shion repeated, "I'd still be the guy either way."

Miyuki raised one eyebrow, but settled back into the seat, stroking Shion's arm gently. "Of course, dear," she cooed, smiling ever-so-slightly when Shizuma turned and winked at her, having overheard Shion's statement.

**PGBR**

Chikaru smiled contentedly in her seat, her fingers running very gently along the baby soft skin of the girl sleeping against her chest. She'd been worried about this trip at first- Tamao had glued herself to Nagisa's side as if she thought she could claim her just out of closeness. At least, that was until Shizuma had physically pried Tamao off of her girlfriend and shoved her off to the side like she were an old, unwanted doll. Chikaru had found her jaw clenching despite herself- despite her calm, nurturing demeanor, she was a very motherly person, and her protective instincts had flared up like a flash fire.

She'd been seconds away from confronting Shizuma about her constant treatment of the poet- there were, after all, better ways to deal with Tamao's affections than physical violence- when Tamao had slipped wordlessly into the seat beside her and slumped against the Le Rim president like a worn rag doll. Chikaru didn't have to look to see the silent tears streaming down the poet's face- the pain in her own heart was enough to alert her to that. Not only did it hurt to see Tamao constantly brushed aside, but it hurt to see Tamao watching after Nagisa with that longing look in her eyes.

Momomi had actually confronted her about her affections once- Chikaru had been slightly surprised that the girl had noticed her feelings, though she really shouldn't have been. She knew Momomi was much smarter than she seemed- her recent split with Kenjou Kaname was enough to prove that. The cunning brunette had just shown up in the council room one day after the split and asked Chikaru outright- why did she put up with these feelings for the lost cause when she could have any other girl in the school or outside it?

Chikaru wasn't stupid- she knew just how many girls lusted after her, longed for her to choose them. So much was apparent by the chocolate overflowing from her desk every Valentine's Day. She didn't know why she chose heartache over a happy relationship, but something inside of her told her that she needed Tamao- that the blunette needed _her_.

But, as a tired Shion had once said, everyone needed a little bit of Chikaru in their lives nowadays.

**PGBR**

When the group finally arrived at the cabin ("More like a mansion," Miyuki had noted, impressed, to which a disgruntled and prideful Shion had replied that her guest house was bigger than this "flimsy old shack"), Tsubomi seemed to have switched tactics entirely, clinging to Yaya's arm instead of avoiding her, as if her mere presence would keep Yaya from rooming with Hikari. Yaya seemed to be enjoying the attention for her part- at least, that's what the smug, lion-like grin seemed to suggest.

Hikari didn't seem to be enjoying the scene, and was even somewhat _glaring _in a very uncharacteristic manner. Amane was attempting to send Tsubomi a silent apology for the situation through her eyes- she managed to make eye-contact with the disgruntled pinkette once, and had come to the conclusion that she should maybe just stay out of her way. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Yaya-chan, let's go see our room!" the blonde declared, rushing over to Yaya and taking ahold of her right arm. Tsubomi instantly pulled Yaya closer to her, breaking Hikari's hold on the girl and cuddling up even closer, to the point where the brunette was practically carrying her. Hikari looked as though someone had slapped her- Tsubomi had never been so outright disrespectful to her. The younger girl was always concerned with manners, especially when it came to her sempai. Once they got into the entryway, the others split and headed for the directions of their rooms. Hikari angled towards the stairs, but a small hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

She came face-to-face with a stern looking Tsubomi, who was standing in front of a sheepish Yaya. "I don't mean to be rude, Hikari-sempai," the pinkette began, the look in her eyes telling Hikari that she really didn't care whether she came off as such or not, "but I think we need to lay down a few rules. ONE!" she cried out, cutting off Hikari's protest, "No sleeping together. If there's only one bed, one of you will have to sleep on the floor. Most likely Yaya-chan." Yaya was caught between being offended by Tsubomi's implications and flattered by the use of the more familiar suffix. "Two," Tsubomi continued, holding up two slender fingers, "no changing in the same room- you can wait to change in the bathroom or something. And lastly, _no _flirting of any kind, especially you," she finished, pointing at Yaya, though her eyes were still locked on Hikari.

"Tsubomi-chan, I…" Hikari began- she honestly hadn't meant to threaten their relationship. It was just that she trusted Yaya and okay, maybe it wouldn't be terrible if she found out that Yaya might possibly want her back.

Tsubomi rolled her eyes. "Please, Hikari-sempai," she began, "I'm not naïve enough to think that there isn't like, a huge chance that Yaya-chan still has feelings for you." She ignored the slightly indignant sound from behind her. "And if you must share a room with her, there's not much I can do other than lay these rules down. So please…just give me that?" Her voice had dropped down to little more than a whisper by the time she spoke her last few words, cracking at the end.

Hikari only nodded, and Tsubomi took a deep breath to collect herself before heading up to the room she was sharing with Amane.

"Tsubomi…"

"Not now, Yaya-chan," Tsubomi muttered, hastening up the stairs in case the brunette tried to follow her. Which was, of course, exactly what Yaya did, only she was much faster than Tsubomi, so she caught her wrist before the pinkette could make it all the way up the stairs. "_What_?"

Yaya pulled Tsubomi to her harshly, causing the pinkette to stumble and fall into the brunette's arms, their lips colliding almost painfully. Instead of moving away, Yaya only pulled Tsubomi closer, increasing the pressure of the kiss until the pinkette literally slumped into her arms. Then she pulled away, her breathing heavy, her lips resting against Tsubomi's forehead. "Don't doubt me, Tsubomi-chan," she said quietly. "Don't doubt us. Please."

Tsubomi raised tired eyes to meet Yaya's, her teeth meeting her lower lip as if debating her answer, before she said, "I can't afford that luxury, and I think Yaya-sempai knows why." She turned and ran the rest of the way to her room, leaving a stunned and slightly hurt Yaya behind.

**PGBR**

Chikaru lay on her back on the large bed in the center of their room, watching Tamao with playful eyes and an amused smile. The poet was pacing back and forth, her face rivaling Tsubomi's brightest blush, seemingly unaware of the Le Rim president watching her every move. "Tamao-chan…? Slow down, you're going to give yourself an ulcer."

The blunette jumped, confirming Chikaru's suspicion that she had, in fact, forgotten that she was actually in the room. She flushed even brighter. "Ano…gomen, Chikaru-sama," she stated shyly. "It's just the bed…"

Chikaru cocked her head, playing dumb. "What about it?" she asked. "I rather like it- the mattress is quite comfortable."

"No, not that, I mean, I'm sure it is, but…" Tamao hesitated. "It's just that there's only _one_," she finished lamely, her hands dropping to her sides in a gesture of defeat. "And there's two of us…"

Chikaru giggled at how mathematical the blunette's answer came out, and Tamao flushed even darker if possible. Finally, she said, "We're both rather small, Tamao-chan- I don't think there will be much of an issue."

"Well no, but…" Tamao broke off, mumbling something under her breath.

"Hmm?" Chikaru asked, leaning forward, well into the blunette's personal space. "Is something wrong?" she asked, beginning to become genuinely concerned. She slid off of the bed and ducked down so that she could meet Tamao's eyes. To her surprise, the poet seemed more embarrassed than anything.

"It's nothing," Tamao mumbled, "I mean, I can just sleep on the floor."

"Of course you can't," Chikaru said, frowning as she stood up straight. She wasn't sure whether to be offended by Tamao's statement or not. "That would be terrible for you."

Tamao seemed to read Chikaru's mood- or at least the small part of her that was hurt by the previous statement, because she started to shake her head violently. "Not that I have a problem sleeping with you in particular, but…I kind of have this thing where…" She leaned over and whispered into Chikaru's ear, apparently forgetting that they were the only two in the room. Suddenly Chikaru jerked away and giggled, collapsing back onto the large bed. Tamao flushed.

"Why didn't you just say so?" the older girl finally asked, pulling the blunette back to lie down beside her. "I don't have a problem if you cuddle in your sleep- and besides, you slept on me in the bus, remember?"

"I'd forgotten up until now," Tamao said quietly, so red that Chikaru was wondering if she should call the fire department. "So…it really doesn't bother you?"

"Not one bit," Chikaru stated cheerily. "In fact, I'll probably end up cuddling you anyway- you're just so cute, like my own life-sized teddy bear!" she squealed, slipping into what was fondly referred to as 'cosplay mode' which usually only came out around her younger friends.

Tamao allowed the older girl to pull her into a hug, her breath leaving her in one large sigh. When Chikaru didn't immediately let go, she buried her face into the black-haired girl's shoulder, her arms draped tiredly over her shoulders. In Chikaru's arms, she felt truly safe and secure for the first time since Nagisa had come to Miator. She didn't have to be constantly on her feet, constantly watching for mischievous Etoiles or making sure Nagisa didn't accidentally set herself on fire. Tamao had enjoyed caring for her roommate but now she thought that maybe being cared for was something she could get used to, though she ignored the warning bells going off inside her heart.

**Sorry for the delay! I hope you all liked this chapter, and please don't forget to review!**


	12. Such a Pretty Girl

**iBarelyReview: Thanks =) And I'm planning on it- Chikaru is kind of hard to keep in character, but hopefully I'll be able to write their relationship well =)**

**Shadow Apparition: Thanks, and I'll try to update quickly. The problem is that with college and all, it does take a while =/ **

**TheNomade5: Thanks, and I thought so too =) I kinda figure Tamao needs someone to take care of HER once in a while.**

**XRosarioX: Thanks =) and thanks again lol**

**Stavri: Yep, I'm in the process of deciding what exactly is going to happen between them.**

**Kaze Rei: Yeah, I kinda gave Hikari a personality, but I'm trying not to make her too OOC. She's really not TRYING to hurt anyone, but she really isn't mature enough to realize that what she's doing is the same thing. She kinda thinks she has a right to Yaya, I guess.**

**Anonymous: Thanks =)**

**Kaizer20: What gives you the impression that I'm a cute geek/nerd? Maybe I'm super gross. With a mustache o.O Anyway, sorry about that- I really just let the story kind of write itself- I didn't even know I set it to humor. I kinda thought it was just on Romance =P I can try to put out a oneshot, since it's not something I'd have to follow up on, but again, with college, it might take a while =P Plus I kinda suck at writing humor. I don't have the wit for it xP But I can try =) Btw, I took Spanish in high school and understood most of it: 'I like your story! This can finish! (nobody translate this for her)' Correct? =P**

**Huggler: To answer your question, I don't really know. I like to see Tamao with any of the more feminine older girls really- even Momomi and Tamao is a guilty pleasure of MINE. I think the main reason I don't love Chikaru and Tamao together is because I like Chikaru and Shion together. But this whole story is kind of about me leaving my comfort zone, so…Shion/Miyuki and Chikaru/Tamao for everyone! xD**

**So guys- this is the most amount of reviews I've ever had for a story! Thanks a million =) **

**Also: I'll be updating more often, at least for a while, since none of my roommates like me, and I'm the only one of them who has no friends yet, and fanfiction and the internet is all that keeps me feeling somewhat human =P *is pathetic* **

**XXXX**

** How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed? **

**Chapter Eleven: Such a Pretty Girl**

**XXXX**

Tsubomi lay curled on her side in the center of the bed; Amane may not have been an interesting roommate, but at least she was chivalrous. The Prince of Spica had taken the floor without question, and Tsubomi had been too exhausted and nervous to try and talk her out of it. So the pinkette was left lying in the center of the king sized bed like a curled up kitten, her stomach twisting uncomfortably and her arms wrapped around herself protectively.

_You can trust her- it's different now. She turned Hikari-sempai down once, and she can do it again._

_**Yeah, right.**_

__It wasn't that she didn't trust Yaya- it was just that she knew how deeply Yaya had loved Hikari, and that her feelings couldn't possibly just disappear overnight.

"I don't think that Hikari truly loves Nanto-san, if that helps at all." Tsubomi looked up to find Amane looking back at her slightly awkwardly, as if she didn't know quite what to say to a distraught teen girl.

The pinkette shrugged. "I don't think Hikari-sempai likes girls at all, to be honest," Tsubomi said dully. "Since she goes to this school, she probably thinks it's more normal to like them, though, so she tries to fit in." Really, Tsubomi couldn't blame her at all, but she was upset, and being upset was no fun when there was no one to blame.

Amane shrugged and went back to whatever she was doing, and Tsubomi rolled onto her other side, not feeling particularly social at the moment. There was an aching emptiness in her stomach, like everything that she'd waited so long for was about to be ripped from her fingertips, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

**PGBR**

_Well damn, _Yaya thought as she stared at the large, single bed in the center of the room. She really didn't want to sleep on the floor, but Tsubomi had seemed very upset, and she didn't want to make Hikari sleep on the floor instead.

Said blonde had already made herself comfortable on the bed and was looking up at Yaya with silent questions in her eyes. "I don't think Tsubomi would really mind if we shared," Hikari began, "I think she was just upset."

Yaya shook her head slowly. Yes, Tsubomi was upset, but she highly doubted Tsubomi wouldn't mind if she shared a bed with Hikari. The pinkette was usually quiet about her jealousy or distaste, but her body language made it fairly obvious when she was serious and when she wasn't. "I don't know," she said, sinking down onto a chair beside the bed. "I think she's upset enough that we're in the same room together."

Hikari frowned slightly. "So she doesn't trust you?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. There was an unidentifiable gleam in her eyes.

"I don't know- I guess not," Yaya replied sullenly. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her cutoffs and met Hikari's gaze with a wary smile. "It's not like you did."

Hikari swallowed, instantly knowing what Yaya was talking about, recalling the night she jerked away from the brunette as if she'd been burned- the night she'd shoved Yaya to the floor for fear of the feelings that had overwhelmed her. "I was never afraid of you, Yaya-chan," she said quietly, raising her gaze only to find Yaya staring at the floor, eyes full of self-loathing just as they had been that night. Slowly she shifted so that she was facing Yaya, who kept her head bent to the floor, and reached out, running the backs of her cool fingers along the brunette's cheek. She felt Yaya's jaw tense beneath her touch and reveled in the sensation.

As if in a desperate final defense, Yaya raised her hand and grabbed Hikari's wrist, gently moving the blonde's hand away from her face, but the second it was gone, the blonde replaced her hand with her lips, kissing the heated skin. Hikari placed several gentle, feather light kisses to her skin before shifting to her lips, and Yaya's eyes widened for half a second before they snapped shut altogether, and a guttural moan slipped from her throat. Her hands slipped down to rest none-too-gently on Hikari's hips, as if holding her there, safe in her arms for _once._

**PGBR**

Tamao sat cross-legged on the right side of the bed, biting her lip while Chikaru lounged next to her, reading what appeared to be classic literature. The brunette was wearing a pair of dark-rimmed reading glasses, soft booty pajama shorts and a lacy tank top, her expression blank. Tamao couldn't help but find the scene both cute and relaxing- there was just something about the older girl that made her feel safe and secure; unjudged.

"What are you thinking about that's got you concentrating so hard?

Tamao gave a start, her eyes flitting over to the brunette beside her, who was now smiling softly up at her. Chikaru marked her page and set the book aside, sitting up on the bed and crawling across it so that she was facing the blunette directly. Tamao blushed at the attention and stumbled over her thoughts for a moment before finally saying, "Remember when we talked about relationships? That day that Miyuki-sama's fiancé got banned from campus?"

Chikaru nodded slowly.

Tamao took a deep breath. "Well, I know I said Yaya was better off with Tsubomi, and I still believe it," she began, "but something seems different about Hikari-chan. Like something's changed, and I don't like the way she's acting around Yaya-chan." She paused for a moment. "And as much as I'd like to say that it doesn't matter, I don't think Yaya-chan is completely over Hikari, not with how much she loved her. And I don't want Tsubomi to get hurt…" She trailed off, eyes full of turmoil, as if she felt there was something she should be doing for her young pink-haired friend.

Chikaru smiled gently and slipped around behind Tamao, wrapping the smaller girl in her arms and resting her chin on the blunette's shoulder. It was a dangerous position, but Chikaru had never been one to run from opportunities, and she wasn't about to sit on the sidelines while she had even the slightest chance of winning Tamao's heart. "Sometimes, we can't help but to hurt the ones we love," Chikaru said softly, "and I'm sure Tsubomi-chan understands that. That's probably why she laid so many ground rules for Hikari-chan and Yaya-chan."

"I don't know if Yaya-chan will be able to control herself," Tamao said quietly, as if she were saying something she really shouldn't. "I do trust her to not start anything with Hikari, but if Hikari started anything with her…I don't know if I'd trust myself in the same situation, with Hikari instead of Nagisa. There's just no way to make those feelings disappear."

Chikaru fixed her with a sad smile to cover up the pang she'd felt in her heart and sighed on the inside. Something had to change or Tamao would never get over her impossible love for Nagisa, and even Chikaru with all her patience could only stand on the sidelines for so long. She discreetly tightened her hold on Tamao's waist and pulled the girl so that she was sitting in between her legs.

Tamao's face flushed- she knew Chikaru was a very affectionate person by reputation alone, and she'd seen the brunette comforting more than one upset girl before. But something about the position Chikaru had maneuvered them into felt more intimate than a simple comforting hug. It didn't feel _wrong_, per say, but just…different, like there had to be something wrong with feeling so secure in a friend's arms. She pushed back the nagging voice in the back of her mind and allowed herself to relax in Chikaru's surprisingly strong embrace.

_You love too easily- you need to run before you get your heart broken again._

**PGBR**

After she had somewhat emerged from her depressive state, Tsubomi decided to head down to Yaya and Hikari's room, just to make sure they were following her rules. Not bothering to knock before entering, she slipped into the room with a small smile that was wiped from her face instantly.

Tsubomi stared at the slumped Yaya and the cheerful Hikari, and her brow furrowed, as she wondered what could possibly have happened. And then it hit her, and her hand instantly flew to her stomach, and she felt as though her insides were tying themselves into hard, tight knots. Her eyes suddenly felt too dry, and her stomach ached with the tears that she _needed _to cry, but she swallowed them back for long enough to lean against the doorframe and stare at the brunette until empty eyes met her own.

"You kissed her, didn't you?" she asked, almost surprised by how steady and empty her voice sounded. "You kissed her."

Yaya didn't say anything, only looked up at the pinkette with such sad eyes that it almost made Tsubomi lose her resolve right there. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Hikari chimed in before she could say anything. "No, I kissed her," the blonde said in her defense, and then, with the slightest of smug smiles (but maybe it was only Tsubomi remembering it that way, as Hikari tore away everything she'd worked so hard for), "but she kissed me back." She looked over at Yaya with such genuine love in her eyes that Tsubomi's stomachache suddenly became ten times worse.

The entire room became foggy, and Tsubomi blinked several times before realizing that the room wasn't the problem- it was her eyes, clouding up with tears she was just barely holding back.

"Tsubomi…" Yaya choked out, but the pinkette shook her head violently before brushing her hair back to reveal a wavering smile.

"It's okay- it's not like it was ever going to last, right?" she asked, her voice suddenly as unsteady as her legs. _It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt… _Suddenly she couldn't hold back the tears any longer and she pushed out of the room, shoving Yaya back when the brunette suddenly seemed to grow a backbone and tried to run after her.

Thanking whatever god that was listening that Yaya stayed put once she'd been shoved away, Tsubomi raced down the hallway and barreled into the first room she came across, falling directly into a stunned Shion's arms as the blonde exited her room.

"Tsubomi-chan?" Shion asked, flustered, before Miyuki pushed her to the side and took Tsubomi into her arms, leading her into the room where the pinkette collapsed on the large bed, curling into a small, trembling ball. "B-but…she…" Shion stuttered, gesturing wildly to the pinkette on their bed. "_Miyuki, _what's going o-"

The blunette clamped a hand over Shion's mouth and led her, struggling, out of the room, closing the door behind them. She didn't know Tsubomi well, but she'd seen just as well as anyone else how the pinkette and brunette relied on each other more than anything. If Yaya was the problem (which Miyuki had picked up from the choppy sentence fragments Tsubomi had uttered between sobs), the pinkette would be better off left alone until she could collect herself.

**PGBR**

In Tamao and Chikaru's room, Yaya cowered beneath Tamao's glare.

"How could you do that to her?" the blunette asked, incredulous as Chikaru sat silently beside her, keeping a hand on her hip to keep her from doing anything too rash. "How could you hurt her like that, _knowing _how it feels?" Tamao was seething- after having her own heart broken by an oblivious Nagisa, she'd related to Yaya's pain, but now that Yaya was doing the same thing to the pinkette she'd come to love like a sister, she couldn't contain her anger. "You're the most selfish person I've ever met, Yaya Nanto," she spat, reminiscent of only several weeks before, when she'd believed that Yaya had accepted Hikari as her girlfriend. "It's never enough for you, is it? How dare you come in here, crying, expecting to be _comforted _when you didn't even _try _to push Hikari away?"

"Tamao-chan…" Chikaru murmured, pressing down slightly on her hip and sitting up straighter, indicating that the blunette should step down. She didn't know what to say to Yaya- that giving in to temptation was wrong? But the brunette already knew as much by the look on her face. So Chikaru did the only thing she could at the moment and stood, walking over to Yaya and gathering the taller girl into a hug. Yaya's eyes fluttered shut, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. There were no tears, only regret, and the realization that she couldn't just wake up from this nightmare, and that what she had wanted and what she needed were two different things.

Tamao sat back and watched as Chikaru embraced Yaya, feeling an uncomfortable twinge in her chest that she really, really shouldn't have been feeling, considering the drama of the situation. But watching Chikaru comfort Yaya like that gave her the strangest urge to slip in between them and wrap her own arms around the Le Rim president's neck. It wasn't a feeling she was necessarily familiar with- with Nagisa, she would always just try to hold on, try to win the girl over with love, which obviously wasn't enough. But now all she wanted was to make Chikaru pay attention to her- to make her look at her instead of Yaya, to somehow slip into her arms and make the younger girl see who she belonged to.

_Wait, belonged to? Where was that coming from?_

Tamao knew she was prone to overreact or romanticize when it came to relationships, and she was aware that she was only going to keep getting her heart broken that way. But something about Chikaru seemed somehow safe to her, like even if her feelings weren't returned, nothing would have to change.

Whatever was happening to her, all Tamao knew at the moment was that she missed Chikaru's arms around her, and that seeing her embrace Yaya like she was made her feel sick to her stomach.

As if sensing something was off, Chikaru slipped away from Yaya and turned to face Tamao, who barely had enough time to avert her gaze. The older girl frowned slightly, as if she were judging whether or not to investigate further, and Tamao was actually glad when Yaya called her attention away from her by standing up. "I've got to go talk to her," the brunette declared, and Tamao rolled her eyes. Leave it to Yaya, honestly.

"It might be a bit too early for that, Yaya-chan," Chikaru said gently. "Especially with a girl like Tsubomi-chan."

Yaya frowned, rubbing the back of her head. "But…Tsubomi-chan loves attention- she never gets enough of it from people," she said slowly. "If I just let her go off by herself, it'll get even worse."

"And you think she wants to see you right now?" Tamao asked with a raised eyebrow, ignoring Chikaru's subtle stare.

Yaya shrugged. "At least if I try, she won't hole herself up thinking I'm in love with Hikari," she muttered.

"And you aren't?"

This time Chikaru stood and pulled Tamao close to her, sitting down on the bed so that she could better control what came out of the blunette's mouth. Yaya paused, an absolutely heartbreaking glint in her eyes. "I'm not," she said quietly. "I just…I never got closure, and by the time I did…" She broke off and pushed out of the room, leaving Chikaru and Tamao sitting in their awkward position on the bed.

Tamao heard a sigh from behind her and freed herself from Chikaru's grasp, slipping into a corner across the room with her arms folded loosely over her chest. Chikaru stood as well, but stayed where she was, gazing inquisitively at the blunette. "Was that really necessary?" she finally asked with a small smile. "I'm sure Yaya-chan already knew what she'd done."

Tamao shook her head. "Yaya-chan never understands what she's done, even when it smacks her in the face," she said. "She doesn't realize how much she's hurt Tsubomi, only that it hurt _her_ too." She swallowed back what felt like a rock in her throat and continued, "People never really realize how much their actions hurt others- as long as they're happy with themselves, they don't care at all."

"I don't think that's true," Chikaru replied, walking so that she was a few feet away from Tamao. She reached out to pull the blunette into a hug, but Tamao shied away.

"Yes, it is," she said in what was nearly a whisper. "Sometimes they don't even notice that people are hurting at all. Sometimes they're so caught up in loving the wrong person that they can't see what's two inches away from them."

Chikaru felt as if the sentence had pierced her through her heart. Now she understood- this wasn't about Yaya and Tsubomi anymore. It was about Nagisa and her love for Shizuma. The older girl let her hand drop to her side and took a deep breath, willing the reflexive ache to disappear. She may have been the queen of kindness and calm, but she wasn't invincible, and Tamao's undying love for Nagisa was really starting to hit her where it hurt. "Unfortunately, that kind of thing is far too common," Chikaru said quietly, noting the irony of Tamao's words. Then she took another breath- it might be killing her to love Tamao like this, but she needed to be who Tamao needed right now, and Tamao needed someone who she could talk to more than anything.

Tamao felt slender arms wrap around her once again, and this time, she allowed Chikaru to hold her, burying her face in the black-haired girl's sweater. It was terrifying, and she knew the last thing she should be doing was holding tighter to the girl who she was falling faster and faster for, but as usual, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

**So Hikari's had feelings for Yaya for a while- but can you honestly say you're surprised? And please don't kill me- this is still YayaXTsubomi! I just had to make the plot a bit more…realistic, I guess.**


	13. Mistakes We Make

**Obsidian and Cobalt: I'm glad you like it =) and thanks =) It kills me to do this to Tsubomi, but I can't imagine them realistically getting together without any Hikari drama =P**

**Shadow Apparation: Don't worry, they'll fix their problems eventually…I just have to think of a good storyline for it =)**

**MalokaiKuhlua: Sorry sorry ;) And good luck with that, by the way =)**

**Huggler: Yeah, Hikari is coming off pretty bitchy, but I think a lot of her just doesn't know how to react to what she's feeling, and she's used to getting her way (ex. Her idol became her gf). Also, I was actually going to have Chikaru and Tamao kiss there, but I find that when I'm READING a fic, I like suspense and stuff, so I decided to try that out =)**

**Kaze Rei: It actually depends on your interpretation of the characters. And the way I perceive her character, I don't see Hikari as wanting to admit she was afraid, especially since she is now trying to have Yaya to herself. And about Tamao's reaction, I kind of see her as being protective of other people's emotions because she wasn't able to protect her own. The major thing with Yaya and Hikari was that for once I tried to be more realistic instead of romantic- the reality is that Yaya would have been too shocked to do much of anything besides follow her instincts, which had been telling her to go after Hikari for a long time. You have to keep in mind that in dialogue, it's the character's beliefs, not the author's. Hikari decided to lie because of her feelings, not because I believed she wasn't afraid.**

**RomanticVulcanolight: Never fear- the YayaXTsubomi will go on! Looking back on it, the last chapter wasn't done too well, or at least as far as explaining everything went, apparently. Anyway, I just wanted to get Yaya's feelings for Hikari out of the way.**

**Stavri: I will =)**

**I hope Tsubomi's feelings came across as strong- I took advantage of my depressed mood and wrote her portion of the chapter before I lost it. I wasn't depressed for the same reasons, but I usually have trouble writing sad portions when I'm not just as upset as the character. **

**XXXX**

** How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed? **

**Chapter Twelve: Mistakes We Make**

**XXXX**

"Hey, Miyuki," Shizuma said, slumping down onto the couch beside the blunette, thrusting an arm over her shoulder in a friendly gesture. At least, friendly for Shizuma, that was. "It feels like forever since we've really talked."

"That's because it has been," Miyuki said with a small smile when she saw the sheepishly guilty look on Shizuma's face. "Since before the Etoile elections, when you…" She broke off, the memory of the night still raw in her mind. That, and Shion had just walked through the door, her expression already switched from blank to suspicious in less than a second. The blonde quickly crossed the room and sat on Miyuki's other side, not-so-subtly wrapping an arm around the blunette's waist and pulling her away from Shizuma.

"When she what?" Shion murmured into Miyuki's ear, her eyes flashing with mild concern, never leaving Shizuma's. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Miyuki said quickly, to which Shion quickly responded with a single raised eyebrow. She sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples. "Listen, Shion, it was forever ago, and I didn't even start it." She was too tired to try and handle Shion's pride at the moment.

Shion frowned. "What was forever ago?" she asked, her gaze shifting to her fiancée, her right arm tightening around Miyuki's waist. "Koi?" she whispered when Miyuki didn't reply, and the blunette felt her heart break in her chest. The kiss with Shizuma was nothing for her to be ashamed of- it had happened far before she'd known about Shion's feelings for her.

Shizuma smirked. "We kissed." Miyuki felt Shion instantly tense beside her, and she shot Shizuma an accusatory glare. Olive eyes widened in confusion before flickering to a suddenly irate blonde. "Okay, whoa," she said, trying to defuse the situation before it began. "I thought you knew we kissed."

"You kissed _me_, Shizuma," Miyuki growled, running a hand up and down Shion's forearm in hopes to calm the blonde. "And I slapped her for it," she added in a quieter tone to the fuming blonde to her left. "It was before the Etoile election."

Shion gritted her teeth, the hand around Miyuki's waist tightening. As if she hadn't had enough to be worried about from Shizuma already. It wasn't as if she didn't know of Miyuki's feelings for her, but now, knowing that they had actually kissed…she was already threatened by the previous Etoile as it was. Unconsciously she pulled Miyuki closer, until the blunette's head was resting beneath her chin, and she met Shizuma's apologetic gaze with a challenging glare.

Miyuki sighed and pushed her away, leaving Shion looking mortally wounded. "It was nothing," she said, running a hand through the Spican's fine blonde hair. "I didn't even start it."

Shion suddenly growled and pulled Miyuki down until their lips met in a rough, possessive kiss, her fingers tangled in the blunette's hair.

Miyuki's eyes widened and she stood there, shocked for several seconds before she pushed away and her hand connected with the blonde's cheek. There was a resounding smack, and Miyuki stood back, breathing deeply, her lips bruised by the contact. Shion sat there, eyes wide, her hand pressed to her cheek, and Shizuma looked as if she was sorry she said anything at all. "Miyuki…" Shion began, turning hurt eyes on the blunette.

"You're being ridiculous," she snapped at the blonde. "I don't appreciate being used for your personal ego trip, or whatever that was." Miyuki growled in frustration and stormed out of the room only to run directly into a panicking Yaya.

The girl gently righted Miyuki and looked around the hallway frantically. "Have you seen Tsubomi?" she asked, her eyes flashing with worry, guilt and a little bit of confusion. "I can't find her anywhere."

"I heard what happened between you two, and I really don't think it's a good idea for-"

Yaya groaned. "I get it, okay?" she said, her mood instantly shifting. "I don't even need to talk to her right now- I just want to make sure she's _safe_." The truth was written plainly across Yaya's face, and Miyuki sighed.

"I can't tell you where she is, but I promise you she's safe," Miyuki said before brushing past the dumbfounded and now very hurt looking Yaya. She could only imagine the feeling- her maybe-girlfriend trusted a girl she didn't even know more than she trusted her. But it wasn't Miyuki's place to say anymore, so she turned and headed up the stairs to alert a certain pinkette and clear her head.

**PGBR**

It hurt.

It felt strange, almost like an out-of-body experience as she lay there, curled up on Shion and Miyuki's bed. The cold air breezed over her and settled into her pores, but she made no move to slip under the covers. The ache in her stomach was a dull, constant thing, as if someone were kneading her organs like play dough, but it felt somehow lessened by the pain in her heart.

Hours later, the sobs had long-since left Tsubomi's body, and she was reduced to lying there, unable to sleep but unable to move, every so often rubbing away a stray tear and holding back more when Yaya's image came to mind. She had never realized just how alone she was without Yaya- who else did she even talk to? Hikari, maybe, but she was the better half of the problem, and all Tsubomi felt like doing was punching her in her pretty, angelic face.

And how the hell was she supposed to compete with an angel, anyway?

She was just contemplating this when a knock sounded at the door and Miyuki slipped in, looking tired. Tsubomi drew herself into a sitting position. "Sorry, I forgot this wasn't my room," she said in a rush, brushing a few stray tears away.

"No, that's fine," Miyuki said, shaking her head. "I just came to tell you that Nanto-san is looking for you." Tsubomi tensed. "Not that I'm going to tell her where you are- this is probably the last place she'd suspect. But I just thought you should know. She seems very upset." Awkwardly, Miyuki lowered herself onto the bed beside Tsubomi- this was more Chikaru's thing than her own, but she couldn't just _leave _the broken-hearted pinkette there.

Tsubomi gave a weak laugh. "Upset that she was caught, maybe," she muttered, her voice hoarse from the crying. "But I can't see Yaya-chan being upset that it happened, especially the way that it did. She's been waiting for it for almost two years, after all." The pinkette took a shuddering breath, her arms locked around her knees. "And the worst part is, I can't blame her at all. If I were with another girl, and suddenly Yaya wanted me back, I wouldn't have done anything to stop her. Because I love her."

**PGBR**

"It's late, Tamao-chan," Chikaru said, reaching over and plucking the poetry book from the blunette's hands with a gentle smile. "We should get to sleep."

Tamao's face flushed at the prospect of actually sharing a bed with Chikaru, knowing that one way or another, they were going to end up cuddled together. It had been one thing with Nagisa, where Tamao felt more like a mother figure than anything else, but her stomach flipped every time Chikaru so much as smiled at her, and she'd never had to deal with that with Nagisa. To be honest, it terrified her.

Slowly she allowed herself to lean back against the pillows, her back still partially upright until Chikaru tugged her into a lying down position. "Sleep, Tamao-chan," she said with a gentle smile. She rolled onto her side and wrapped an arm around Tamao's waist.

Tamao blushed heavily, but at the same time her eyelids instantly began to droop, and she could herself curling in towards Chikaru's warm body, the older girl gracefully accepting the new contact, tightening her arms around the blunette's waist. A small voice in the back of Tamao's mind wondered if she should let herself be so open with Chikaru after all that had happened with Nagisa, but she pushed it back as she had done for so long already. She heard Chikaru sigh contentedly and felt the older girl bury her face in her hair, all the while trying to ignore the shivers the contact sent down her spine.

_She's not Nagisa, she's not Nagisa, she's…_

Tamao blinked.

_She's not Nagisa._

**PGBR**

"Miyuki…"

"Go to sleep, Shion," the blunette said wearily, rolling onto her side and pulling the blankets closer- her nightgown was hardly enough to keep her warm in the fifty degree temperature of the cabin.

She heard a sigh and felt the mattress depress close to her hip as the blonde sunk onto the bed beside her. "I'm sorry, koi," Shion said quietly, sounding as though she might cry if Miyuki continued to brush her off. "I just…you know how I get when I feel…" She sighed. "It was bad enough that I had to watch out for that bastard you were going to be marrying as well as Shizuma, and when I heard she kissed you I just kind of…lost it," she finished in a mumble, staring down at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry if it bothers you that I get so possessive but…it's in my nature, Miyuki. I can't help it."

Miyuki sighed and sat up sleepily, wrapping her arms around Shion's small waist. "I know," she murmured, burying her face into the crook of the Spican's neck and feeling Shion's head come to rest on top of her own. "I should have told you before, I knew Shizuma was going to let it slip eventually. Just…let's forget it, okay? There's enough drama already." She felt Shion nod against her head. "Good." Miyuki slid back under the covers, leaving enough room for the blonde to slip in beside her.

To her surprise, Shion slid as close as she could to the blunette, spooning her from behind. Neither one of them was much for cuddling, but Miyuki didn't mind the contact- Shion was probably still feeling threatened, despite their talk. If there was one thing she'd learned about the Spican in all of the ten years she'd known her, it was that Shion's pride was her one constant, and when it was wounded, it took quite a bit of coddling to get it back to the way it was before.

**PGBR**

It was a quarter to midnight when the door to Tsubomi and Amane's room creaked open and a shadowy figure slipped in. The pinkette reflexively burrowed deeper into the covers, knowing exactly who the figure was. She went completely still as she heard Amane shift from her position on the floor and stand to greet Yaya, her ears perking so that she could hear the whispered conversation.

A slight ruffling noise- Yaya must have been rubbing the back of her neck. "Look, can you please switch rooms with me?" Tsubomi tensed.

"I don't think that's the best idea right now," Amane replied, a shuffling noise indicating that she was subtly trying to get Yaya away as quickly as possible. "I know what hap-"

A growl, this time, and a stomped foot. Tsubomi almost giggled. "The whole damn _house _knows what happened, Ootori," Yaya hissed. "That doesn't mean that A, I don't regret what happened and want a chance to explain it to _my _girlfriend, or B, I want her sharing a room with another girl!"

Tsubomi wasn't sure whether to scoff or swoon at this.

"Maybe she felt the same way," Amane replied in her quiet baritone, not really protesting, but not really agreeing either. "You didn't really think about that before."

Yaya's voice was a low growl. "You've got no right to preach to me, _Prince_," she spat. "You stole Hikari from me, and now that I've _finally _gotten over her, you want to steal _my _princess?" A scoff, this time. "I don't fucking think so."

Tsubomi swore her heart stopped in her chest. _Over Hikari? Princess? _

"I'm not going to stop you," Amane finally said, "but I don't think this is a good idea."

"Screw what you think is a good idea, horse-lover," Yaya snapped, her tone dripping with unconcealed hatred. "Go and find Hikari- she'll want you back within a few days anyway."

There was a shuffle, and a soft click, and suddenly a sense of exhilaration mixed with fear pooled in Tsubomi's stomach. The bed dipped beside her, causing her thighs to make contact with Yaya's back. A gentle hand brushed over her cheek, and she shivered involuntarily, causing Yaya to jerk back, startled. "You're awake."

"No I'm not," Tsubomi muttered, rolling onto her other side. "You're dreaming."

"I'm sorry, Tsubomi."

"For what?" Tsubomi asked in a hoarse whisper. "For kissing her back? Or for breaking my heart?"

She felt Yaya flinch and took a small pleasure from that fact. "Both," Yaya finally said. Before Tsubomi could speak again, she added, "I really do regret it- all of it. I never got any closure from her and it just…I was really surprised and it was like a natural instinct or something and I'm just digging myself a bigger hole now. Look, I'm awful with feelings and shit and I just want you to know that it's _you_, Tsubomi- it's always going to be you."

"I'm not just going to take you back," Tsubomi mumbled into the thick comforter. "I'm not that stupid, contrary to what Yaya-sempai seems to believe."

"Back to sempai, then?" The response was a stony silence. "That's fair, I guess," Yaya mumbled as if she didn't want to admit it. "Please just…just give me a chance to prove my feelings," she said in a pleading tone. "I don't expect you to take me back right away but I do want you, and I'm not just going to let you slip through my fingers again. Even if you say no, I won't give up."

"I know you won't," Tsubomi grumbled. Sighing, she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Fine, you can try. Whatever. Just go to sleep for now, okay?"

Yaya glanced down at the floor. "Do I have to…?"

"I have a feeling you'd just wake up in the bed even if you tried," the pinkette muttered dryly. "No, just get in bed and shut up before I strangle you."

More heat pooled in the bottom of Tsubomi's stomach as Yaya crawled over her and slipped into bed only a hairs' breath away. "This isn't exactly what I meant," Tsubomi groused half-heartedly. But at least for the moment her heart had stopped aching quite so badly- there was nothing Yaya could possibly do, short of reaching in and ripping the organ right out of her chest, that would break her heart any more than she already had. Tsubomi really had nothing to lose, especially if Yaya decided to stay true to her word.

**So we've established that I can't write angst worth a damn- hopefully you enjoyed it anyway! I promise the next chapter will be better =)**


	14. And Tape Your Heart

**Guys, I am so, so very sorry for being SO inconsistent this year, because I hate it when people can't finish fics too, and I've been doing the same to all of you who are reading my work. Anyway, I FINALLY got motivation to continue this story, so please forgive me for being so inconsistent and unreliable D: I guess if I don't get many reviews I'll give this fic up for good, I usually don't say things like this, it's just because sometimes my fics die if I don't update them for a while…anyway, please review, and I'm sorry D:**

**Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks :3 Yep, I really love Chikaru and Tamao, poor Tamao needs someone to fix her heart :3**

**ImTheCatalyst: Thanks, I'm glad you like it :)**

**PeepQ: I feel really bad now, lol, college has been kicking my ass and I only just now picked up this fic again. There probably weren't men allowed, I'm so sloppy with the general rules of the campus D:**

**Stavri: Thanks :3**

**Shadow Apparation: Thanks :) Of course, I didn't update at ALL for like forever, I'm sorry D:**

**RomanticVulcanolight: Thanks :) I really was concerned about the realism, so I'm glad you found it realistic :) I do understand that, it's sometimes hard to understand how Shion WOULD react, considering how little her personality is explored in the anime.**

**Kaze Rei: Thanks :3 When I fall for people, I usually fall pretty hard, so my reaction/portrayal might be typical or atypical, I'm really not sure. Either way, thank you :3**

**kaizer20: Don't worry, I won't kill anyone :3 Thanks :3**

**whitley: Thanks :3 I think I did talk to you a while back, it really has been a long time since I updated this.**

**Thefanofstuffs: Ah D: I'm sorry I disappeared for so long, but I'm back now :3 As for Hikari, I really didn't mean to make her look like the bad guy, sorry D: It's just that some girls react like her- no matter who they hurt, they'll go for the girl they want without MEANING to hurt anyone. Sorry if it came off as otherwise…I hope to fix everything back to normal with the Spican three, so there's that :3**

**KisaCross: Thanks :3**

**XxxxX**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Thirteen: And Tape Your Heart**

_**xXLiStLesSXx**_

**XxxxX**

Tamao woke up the next morning with an odd emotion swirling around in her stomach. There was a heavy, but not entirely uncomfortable weight pressing into her midriff, and _something _warm kept hitting the back of her neck. Trying her best not to change her position too drastically, she tilted her head back only for her heart to skip a beat- the cause of the warmth and security she felt was none other than Chikaru spooning her in her sleep.

The Le Rim president stirred slightly, tugging the blunette closer to her and burying her face in Tamao's loose, long locks, causing the younger girl to nearly choke on her own saliva. Collapsing back against the pillow, Tamao stared wide-eyed at the window next to the bed- it was still that awkward transition between dark and light, and she just _knew _she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep with her newest fixation holding onto her like this.

Hesitantly, she scooted backwards onto the bed, closer to the raven-haired girl, and couldn't help but let out a small moan of pleasure as the girl's arms tightened possessively around her waist. "Tamao-chan…go back to sleep…," Chikaru mumbled sleepily into the younger girl's neck, causing Tamao's eyes to snap wide open.

"Ch-Chikaru-sama?"

"Mmm," the older girl hummed in a noise of affirmation. "Now go back to sleep."

Tamao lay there, positively rigid in Chikaru's embrace for a good several minutes before she slowly began to relax. What had she been so afraid of, Chikaru waking up and realizing she was holding onto her? Obviously it was nothing surprising to the older girl, and Chikaru already knew that Tamao had tried to move closer to her. For once, it seemed, there was no risk in letting herself indulge, and Tamao let out a quiet sigh before rolling over to face Chikaru.

The Le Rim president blinked sleepily as Tamao's arms snaked around her waist, the blunette's head resting against her chest, and she fell back onto her back, wrapping a lazy arm around the younger girl's waist. She nearly purred in contentment when Tamao cuddled into her, but held herself back.

_All in good time, Chikaru._

**PGBR**

Shion awoke with a start, her jaw clenched and her hands working at her sides.

She wasn't sure if she would rather never had known about Shizuma and Miyuki; it wasn't as if she wasn't very much _aware _of her fiancée's feelings for her best friend. But every time she thought of the two, all she saw was _kissing_, and that sick, masochistic part of her just wouldn't let her stop caring, even if it was just a kiss. Miyuki _loved _Shizuma. Out of experience, the blonde know that _just _a kiss with the one you love wasn't _just _anything.

In the midst of her masochistic rant, Miyuki stirred beside her and, unbeknownst to the blonde, was quickly coming to. Blinking several times to adjust to the light, the Miator president frowned as she watched the emotions flit across her fiancée's face. She had a sneaking suspicion of what was bothering Shion- even though the blonde had apologized and acted like everything was fine, she was aware that the kiss between herself and Shizuma affected her more than she was willing to let on.

Miyuki sighed- she knew better than to confront Shion on her suspicion. Best case scenario, Shion would shrug it off and deny it; as endearing as Shion's stubbornness could be at some times, at others it was just downright frustrating. If Miyuki wanted to pull the Spican from this mood of hers, she would have to _show _her that she didn't want Shizuma anymore.

And she really didn't, as surprising as the thought was initially. A part of her would always love Shizuma, but Miyuki was far from wanting to be with her silver-haired friend, not now that she was engaged to the girl she was so sure she'd hated not so long ago. Shion might have been an unorthodox choice, but the blonde treated her like the princess Miyuki had always dreamed of being, and somewhere along the line, the Miator president found herself falling faster and faster for the Spican.

And it terrified her.

_One crisis at a time, Miyuki_, she instructed herself, shaking from her thoughts. "Shion," she began, wincing at how sleepy her voice sounded. Shion gave a start and whirled around to face the blunette instantly, violet eyes absolutely attentive, and Miyuki found herself wondering how she could possibly _want_ to be with Shizuma when the blonde before her was so ready to give her every star in the sky if she so much as asked.

"What is it, koi?" the Spican asked, blinking sleepily at Miyuki.

Miyuki didn't say anything, only sat up straighter so that Shion was within reach and leaned forward, capturing the blonde's lips in a slow kiss. The Spican stiffened, startled before Miyuki felt a pair of hands pull her closer by her lower back, and the once unresponsive lips move against her own. After several seconds, she pulled away slowly, bringing her hands to rest on Shion's cheeks, stroking the girl's cheekbones with her thumbs. "I don't want her anymore, Shion," she said bluntly, and the expression on Shion's face told her she knew exactly what Miyuki was referring to. "I can't lie to you and say I'm not still in love with her," the Spican's face fell, her brows furrowing in an attempt to hide the hurt, "but I don't want to be with her."

Shion's jaw tightened, and hard violet eyes met hers in an unspoken challenge. "How can you tell me you don't want her?" she asked, her voice cold and self-depreciating. "If you're still in love with her?" She looked as if she were contemplating pulling away, but stayed within Miyuki's reach, and Miyuki felt a little more of her heart go to the blonde for her honest, unwavering nature. "You…" Shion paused, as if she were struggling with something. "You realize I'm in love with you?" she finally asked, her eyes still meeting Miyuki's with determination. The blunette nodded feebly, still unused to the term being directed at her. "Whether you say you want to be with her or not, the fact that you still love her…it's almost unbearable, Miyuki," the Spican finally sighed, her tone low and calculated, and Miyuki realized how hard it must have been for her to be so open about her feelings.

"I can't make you stop loving her, I can't ask that you stop, and I know I overreacted yesterday, god, I _know_, but I'm not the kind of person who's _good_ at being patient, or being a replacement. Chikaru…she might be able to do it without any complaint or anything, she might be able to just sit back and watch, but I…I'm _selfish_, Miyuki, I'm selfish and I'm possessive and you're going to get _sick _of it eventually because anyone else would be able to give you the space you need to get over her, but I just _can't_."

Miyuki frowned slightly. "Are you saying you can't do this?" she asked, gesturing to the two of them, surprised by how much it hurt. "Because-"

"No!" Shion cried almost instantly. "No, Miyuki, even if I _wanted _to end this, I couldn't. I'm just…I'm not going to be easy to live with sometimes, if something happens between you and Shizuma, I'm not going to be really understanding and it might take me a while to be okay with it," she finished, staring down at the covers by this point.

Miyuki could swear she felt her heart breaking in her chest. "I know you won't be," she said quietly, causing Shion's head to snap up, her eyes wide. The Miator president broke into a dry smile. "Do you really think I spent all these years being your archrival without knowing you well enough to know that you're not that kind of person, Shion? I don't expect you- I don't even _want _you to be okay with it, not really," she admitted with a slight blush. "I just don't want you to be hurt or feel like I want her every time something happens between us." She paused, taking in Shion's hangdog expression. "If you were okay with it, you wouldn't be _you_, or you wouldn't _care_, and I don't want either of those. I just want you to know that I don't want her, okay?"

Shion nodded slowly, looking torn between jealousy and embarrassment, and Miyuki's lips curled into a small smile as she leaned back and allowed the blonde to crawl over to her and capture her in another kiss.

**PGBR**

In contrast with the other two girls, when Tsubomi woke up to find Yaya's arm flung haphazardly over her stomach, she threw it off without a hint of regret at waking the other girl. Yaya woke with a start, stretching and yawning widely, as if nothing were wrong, even as Tsubomi skittered around the room, looking for something to wear.

After a few moments of busy silence, Yaya pulled herself into a sitting position, admiring the view as Tsubomi changed out of her pajamas and into an outfit that was far too thin for the weather. "Keep your eyes to yourself," the pinkette snapped once she realized the older girl was staring at her.

The brunette blinked in surprise. "Since when can I not look at my girlfriend?" she asked, and Tsubomi almost wanted to laugh at how very confused the older girl sounded. Instead she scoffed and threw a pillow at Yaya's face. "Hey!"

Tsubomi growled, whirling on the other girl. "Have you_ forgotten_ what happened last night?" she asked, her tone sharp with barely concealed hurt. "Just because I let you sleep here doesn't mean I forgive you! Just shut up and don't say something stupid for five seconds, okay?" she muttered as Yaya pulled the pillow from her face and tossed it off to the side.

"You can't hate me," the brunette pointed out bluntly, and Tsubomi growled, feeling like ripping out her hair in frustration.

"Don't _tell _me what I can and can't do," she snapped, her eyes flashing with a thin layer of anger concealing the hurt. Then, noticing the painfully confused look on Yaya's face, she sighed. _She doesn't even realize why it hurt you so much. _"You're insufferable, just go away."

Yaya groaned and fell back against the pillows. "Just talk to me, Tsubomi, I know you well enough to know you don't want to leave it like this," she said, her tone thick with frustration that just barely masked an undertone of desperation that Tsubomi unfortunately could not hear.

"Do you even realize how much what you did hurt me?" Tsubomi asked quietly.

Yaya sat up again, brows furrowed defensively. "Hey, she kissed _me-_"

The pinkette let out a frustrated growl and stomped her foot, a gesture that Yaya might have found adorable at another time. "You don't even realize what you did _wrong_!" Tsubomi cried, nearly in tears. "You don't even realize how much you hurt me! You think just because she started it, it makes everything okay?"

Yaya recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "I s_aid _I was sorry-"

"And that makes it all better, doesn't it?" Tsubomi asked dryly. "You're _sorry_, so everything's fine and I should just forgive you and take you back."

"T-take me _back_?" Yaya asked in a surprisingly small voice. Tsubomi raised an eyebrow as the brunette looked up at her in confusion. "You're still my girlfriend, Tsubomi, we never-"

"I know you're not _that _thick, Yaya-baka," Tsubomi replied coldly, her voice quivering deceitfully. "You loved- _love _Hikari-sempai, and now that you've kissed her, you think I'm stupid enough to believe that you still want _me_? I can't do this, Yaya-sempai, I could stand by your side forever if I was helping you get over her, but I can't be anything _more _than a friend and watch you wish I was her."

"I don't wish you were her, Tsubomi," Yaya pleaded, finally breaking from her self-righteous mood. "I just needed the closure, I never got closure-"

Tsubomi scoffed. "And now you have," she stated, "too bad it cost you my trust." Grabbing her jacket from the wardrobe, the tiny pinkette headed for the door, her pounding heart the only sign that she acknowledged Yaya's last words before it shut behind her.

_"I'm not letting you go so easy, Tsubomi-chan."_

**So there it is, my attempt at picking this up again and fixing it up- please review if you want me to continue from here!**


	15. And the World Keeps Spinning

**AlexSamtin: Don't worry, there's more of them coming up :3 Yaya won't get off too easily, I've felt very similar to how Tsubomi has in this situation, so I know how to drag it out just enough, I hope. **

**DrYuriMom: Thanks :3 Chikaru and Tamao is actually probably the most exciting pairing for me at the moment. Everyone needs a Chikaru, and Tamao more than deserves her by this point, I think :) I also like them because life has too much drama at the moment (how can my life be dramatic when all I do is sit at home and wish my roommate hadn't stopped talking to me when I accidentally posted something about my relationship on Facebook? o.O), and they're probably gonna be the least dramatic couple :3**

**TheNomade5: Thanks, I'll do my best :)**

**keitaro5286: Thanks :)**

**TheDarkAznVampZard: I'll do my best, especially now that my first semester at college is (finally) over :)**

**Jam: Thanks, will do :)**

**DividedBy: Thank you! I love those two together, I feel like Chikaru is just what Tamao needs to heal her broken heart. Tamao and Miyuki, I feel, would just kind of leech off each others' sadness D: Thanks :3 I'm so glad you like it, I thought for ages on how to have her react, and I feel like in the end it wouldn't be Yaya if she completely understood. Well, my writerly heart is just full of too many emotions right now, and writing seems to be a good outlet, so I don't see me dropping this fic again any time soon :)**

**ObsidianandCobalt: Thanks :3 Don't worry, Tsubomi and Yaya will make it through in the end :)**

**Huggler: It's all good, I do the same thing when I don't like a pairing. I'm so glad you feel that way, it's definitely the emotion I'm going for :3 To be honest, I'd put up with Yaya too, if I loved her like Tsubomi does.**

**KisaCross: Thanks :3 I definitely will.**

**ShadowApparation: Don't worry, everyone will be happy in the end. It's just some necessary gaysnt (hey, there's an idea for a fic title xD) because love never really is easy, especially for teen girls. No way I'm going to have them end up single, why would I want a sad ending in a fic when I can get that in real life all I want? :3 I'll try my best, I actually have a lot of Thorns finished, I just have to refind the files :P**

**Regretx993: Don't worry, I plan on it :)**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please continue to review. Side note- one hundred reviews! I've been aiming for that for a while, thanks for making it possible :)**

**XxxxX**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Fourteen: And The World Keeps Spinning**

_**xXLiStLesSXx**_

**XxxxX**

Tsubomi was torn between wanting to jump into Yaya's arms and wanting to smack the girl upside the head- to be honest, it wasn't much different than usual.

But the girl just wasn't giving _up_. It was flattering to an extent, as Tsubomi had never been in a relationship where she meant enough to her partner for them to chase after her and not just let her go, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that just taking Yaya back with open arms would only hurt her more in the long run; take her back now, and there would _always _be that tiny shred of doubt, that pang whenever Yaya was near Hikari. She wasn't called mature for her age for nothing.

But she really, really wished Yaya would stop hanging all over her like she was, as it was making it increasingly difficult for Tsubomi to make the right decision.

"Get off, Yaya-baka," she muttered, squirming in her seat as the brunette slid into the seat beside her, instantly thrusting an arm over her narrow shoulders.

"Nope," the brunette chimed casually. "You're my girlfriend, I think it's kind of my right to hold you whenever I want."

Tsubomi growled under her breath. "You don't have any 'rights' anymore, baka!" she hissed, still well aware of the other girls in the dining room. They were preparing to go stargazing that night ("though I don't know who in their right _mind _would want to go out at midnight on a _winter_ night."), and everyone was bustling around in that busy way they do when they're on a bit of a sleepless buzz. Tsubomi herself was slumped over on the island in the middle of the kitchen, her nose buried in her folded arms, still half-asleep, and an all-too-energetic Yaya had wasted no time in bounding up to her.

Yaya frowned at her words, but kept her protests to herself and turned back to face the rest of the room, her hand slipping instinctively to rest on Tsubomi's lower back.

And for as much as she felt like a complete cliché, Tsubomi couldn't bring herself to shake the hand away, because it _meant _something. It was there, and it _meant _something. It meant that despite it all, Yaya wasn't going to give up on her just yet, and it meant that the brunette was with _her_, and not Hikari.

And then she felt a pair of lips press to her cheek, and remembered that this wasn't supposed to be easy.

_It can't be. She'll never learn and you'll never be anything more if it is._

So she shoved the brunette away and jumped down from the stool she had been sitting on, moving to stand next to the only person she knew she could trust not to make everything worse.

And maybe Amane never said a word, but at least she didn't say all the wrong ones, either. The little jealous glare of Yaya's was only the cherry on top, really.

**PGBR**

For as patient of a person as Chikaru was, it was quickly becoming almost unbearable to be around Tamao when she, in turn, was around Nagisa. The lovesick, kicked-puppy looks were starting to make her feel sick to her stomach, and she found that she had a newfound respect for Tsubomi, who had to have been putting up with this for much longer than she had. The pity she'd previously felt, the disapproval towards Shizuma…it had morphed into a foul-tasting, stabbing sensation that left her feeling breathless in a way she was quite sure wasn't good. She could hardly look at Tamao and Nagisa without feeling a sharp, twisting pain in her stomach.

Chikaru sat there on the grass only several yards away from where Tamao and Nagisa were located, keeping her feelings to herself for the longest time. But then she remembered that morning, and the way Tamao had curled into her arms, fitting perfectly, as though they were made for each other, and her insides twisted in utter defiance as she stared at the two younger girls. Maybe Tamao wasn't hers just yet, but she knew the poet well enough to know that Tamao was one of the most perceptive girls at Astraea Hill. There was no way that the blunette hadn't picked up on her intentions, and yet here she was, giggling with Nagisa as if Chikaru wasn't there at all.

Squaring her shoulders and fixing a nonchalant look onto her sweet features, Chikaru strode over to where Nagisa and Tamao were giggling together- or, rather, Nagisa was giggling, and Tamao was staring at her like someone had brought her lost puppy back to her after years. Even as she promised herself she would be rational and calm about the situation, Chikaru couldn't resist the urge to squeeze Tamao's shoulder slightly as she reached the two girls, something inside of her begging for some sort of contact. "Ara, you two seem to be enjoying yourselves," she said casually with a smile that almost hurt. She hoped Tamao wouldn't pick up on the slight inflection of her words, though at the same time, marveled at the fact that she didn't mind if the redhead beside her did.

Tamao frowned, confused at Chikaru's sudden change in behavior. "What's wrong, Chikaru-sama?" she asked, not even bothering to play along with the girl's admittedly brilliant façade. There were just a few cracks in the mask that were all too obvious to the young poet- Chikaru's aura was somber, not its usual plucky state, and the Le Rim president hardly ever touched her like she just had (though Tamao dare not name what she thought it had been).

And Chikaru wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Here, Nagisa-chan," Tamao said, smiling at her adorable friend as she handed her a cookie she'd brought from the dorms. Nagisa beamed up at her and Tamao couldn't help but flush only to feel Chikaru tense behind her. "I'll be right back, okay? Or you could go sit with Shizuma-sama, I'm sure she misses you." The words escaped her mouth before she properly thought them through, but Tamao was surprised to find that she didn't regret them at all. Instead, she turned her full attention to the black-haired girl on her right, who currently looked as if someone had stuck a stick inside her and churned up her emotions like butter. "Please, Chikaru-sama," she said in a soft voice, scooting closer to the taller girl and placing a hand on top of hers, squeezing gently. "Talk to me."

Chikaru opened her mouth to speak, but was almost shocked to realize that for once in her life, she had no idea of what to say. She didn't even know what to tell Tamao had been going through her mind when she came up and interrupted the two girls. Her brows furrowed together in utter confusion and Tamao realized with a start that the Le Rim president had probably never felt _jealousy _before. After a second of wondering how nice that must be, she shook the thought from her head and shifted closer to Chikaru, very nearly swooning when the older girl kissed the top of her head as if it were nothing. She had to be the luckiest girl in the whole wide world for managing to capture the attention of such a wonderful girl.

Finally, after several moments of neither girl really knowing what to say, Chikaru began to speak, finding her words first. "I'm sure it would be fairly heartless of me to ask you to get over Nagisa-chan so soon," she said in a sadly resigned tone, startling Tamao with her straightforwardness. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what came over me." Chikaru swallowed forcefully- for as much advice as she gave, it was completely different to be in the situation herself. And it _hurt_ it a way that was almost physical, in a way she could never have imagined. A single tear slipped from her eye despite her effort to keep it locked away.

Tamao reached up and wiped the tear away gently, her heart aching when Chikaru still refused to look her way, and she realized that this was so much more than jealousy. Yes, it had probably been jealousy that had caused her to interrupt herself and Nagisa, but Tamao never even stopped to _think _how much she was hurting Chikaru by both mourning Nagisa's love and accepting the Le Rim president's affections all at once. "Nagisa-chan and I…" Tamao began cautiously, massaging the back of Chikaru's hand as she spoke, "we were never going to happen, Chikaru-sama. Nagisa-chan was never mine." She stared down at her feet as she said the words.

Strange, the more she spoke out loud of the thoughts that used to cut her so deeply, the less they weighed on her heard.

Tamao felt Chikaru's gaze, and knew she had to keep going before she lost the nerve to say what she needed to forever. "I can get over Nagisa-chan," she said, her voice almost a whisper, "because there was never any chance for us. But I don't think I could forgive myself if I hurt someone who truly cares about me in the process of not letting her go."

There was a pause as Tamao continued to stare at her feet, her breath coming in short bursts as she tried to calm her racing heart.

And then everything was finally alright again, because Chikaru had leaned over and pulled her to her by her lower back and they were _kissing _and everything felt so right for the first time since it all began. And as they broke apart and Tamao sank into Chikaru's warm, safe embrace, Tamao felt happier (_lighter_) than she had felt even back when she thought she had a chance with Nagisa.

With a shaky, contented sigh, Tamao leaned back against the Le Rim president's chest, feeling free and stripped of burden for the first time in what felt like forever. Chikaru's steady breathing felt like a lullaby, and suddenly Tamao realized something she should have realized a long time ago-

The past was literally in the past. It could only hurt her up until she let it go.

**PGBR**

Miyuki was leaning back against a large log, comfortably huddled beneath Shion's protective arm as she leaned against her fiancée, thinking about nothing (everything). She accepted Shion's possessive tendencies for what they were, realizing it would be a while before the blonde was okay with her being around Shizuma at all, and actually relished in the increased affection it meant for her.

Catching sight of Chikaru and Tamao out of the corner of her eye just as her newly-found friend leaned in for another kiss from the slightly blushing blunette with a playful smile, Miyuki felt her heart warm up just a little bit more. "I'm glad they worked out," she mused, more to herself than anything, but she felt Shion's head turn in the direction of her gaze all the same.

"'Course they did," Shion stated matter-of-factly. Miyuki turned to her with a confused frown and the blonde leaned down to kiss her fiancée briefly before explaining. "Chikaru's the one who taught me never to give up on something I couldn't go an hour without thinking about," she said, smiling down at Miyuki with the barest trace of a blush. "I guess it doesn't really hurt that she's probably the most eligible single on the Hill, either." The Spican then yawned widely and slumped in a very un-Shion-like manner against the log, pulling Miyuki to lean against her chest. "Besides your lover girl, at least." She scowled as Shizuma winked over at them.

Miyuki rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny that it was just a little bit cute, despite the fact that Shion's petty jealousy went against everything she normally stood for. "I'm sure you can be a bit more childish if you try, Shion," she said in a lightly teasing tone, giggling uncharacteristically when Shion grumbled and tugged her closer.

**PGBR**

Tsubomi found herself blinking in and out of sleep as she lay flat on her back, staring up at the stars, trembling with the cold. She had long since given up on getting Yaya to keep her distance, and like the selfish girl she was ashamed to admit she was, she wanted to keep the brunette close by, if only to keep her away from Hikari.

She felt Yaya's eyes on her before the girl spoke, and braced herself for the conversation that was soon to come. "How long are you going to hate me for?" she heard the girl ask in a low voice, making her usual husky tone almost irresistible.

"As long as it takes for you to understand how I feel," Tsubomi replied, not even bothering to correct the girl, to tell her that she didn't actually hate her, that it was quite the opposite, in fact, and that's _why _things were so complicated. "Yaya-senpai can't just say she's sorry and expect things to fix themselves overnight."

There was a rustling as Yaya shifted beside her, and suddenly there was a warm weight covering Tsubomi's upper body, and the brunette was jacketless. The smaller girl instinctively clutched the fabric closer, eliciting a hopeful half-smile from the older girl. "Well, can you give her a chance to try?"

Tsubomi paused, her nostrils now full of Yaya's scent, a smell that had become so familiar, so safe. Should she just let Yaya go? _Probably. _But _could _she? Well, that was another story entirely, and what was the harm of letting the girl try and prove to her that she could change? Worst case scenario, Tsubomi would end up just as heartbroken as she was now- ergo, now that things had hit rock bottom, there was nowhere to go but up. "Just don't mess anything up, Yaya-baka," she muttered into the fabric, glaring up at the stars as Yaya did an exaggerated fist-pump and pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

**Have you ever been so upset you made yourself sick? There are certain things about me I'd give absolutely anything to change, things that make me absolutely intolerable in a relationship. The one thing I need more than anything in the world is to for someone to care about me, and every time I think I manage to find someone who does, I fuck it up. I fucking disgust myself.**


	16. Freefall Into Me

**ShadowApparation: I feel like Yaya will eventually catch on, it just takes her a bit longer, I judge her reaction time the way I used to judge my boyfriends', lol. So far it's been pretty dead on :3 Oh my god, I actually total forgot about those two, they're just boring to me…but don't worry, I won't leave any loose ends. And thanks :)**

**Themightymustachex3: Wow, thanks :3 That means a lot, I hope you keep enjoying this story :)**

**AlexSamtin: Thanks :)**

**Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks :D And yeah, feeling like that…I'm empathetic to begin with, it's one of the worst feelings in the world for me. And thanks :)**

**Kisa Cross: Thanks, I'm glad :3 And thanks, it really is nice to know I'm not alone. It's like no matter how hard I try, I always mess things up. The more I care, the worse it is, you know? **

**TheDarkAznVampZard: Thanks :) You're so right, there always needs to be more SP!**

**Jam: Yeah, it was, it still hurts a lot, really, even though things kind of got fixed. Everything's moving so fast D: Thanks :3**

**XxRin-sanxX: Like I said in my message, I'd be happy to see a story like that, the world needs more SP fanfiction!**

**So guys, when someone calls your writing shit (cute shit) is it a compliment or an insult? O.o Also, to really put the cherry on top of one of the worst weeks of my life, I lost a HUNDRED dollar bill the other day D: I was gonna go shopping.. :(**

**No Shion and Miyuki in this chapter, their story isn't finished but I had to get this other stuff out of the way first :)**

**XxxxX**

**How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?**

**Chapter Fifteen: Free-fall into Me**

_**xXLiStLesSXx**_

**XxxxX**

Yaya was really starting to feel the effects of Tsubomi-withdrawal. Or really, cute-girl withdrawal. Her body was aching for affection, but the last thing she wanted to do was give Tsubomi another reason not to forgive her by going back to Hikari again.

But she just couldn't understand it. Tsubomi seemed fine (albeit mildly annoyed) whenever Yaya mentioned other girls on the Hill, unlike Yaya herself, who grit her teeth every time the pinkette mentioned having more than friendly feelings for _anyone_. The pinkette seemed to accept Yaya's libido for what it was…at least, until it came to Hikari.

"You don't get it at all, do you?"

Yaya practically growled at the sound of the voice she'd grown to hate. First Hikari, now Tsubomi…would this girl never get tired of stealing the things she cared for away? "I don't know what you're talking about, Ootori," she bit out, her arms folded tightly over her chest as she glared straight ahead of her. "Haven't you done enough? Even when you stole Hikari from me, you couldn't even hold onto her long enough not to ruin everything all over again, right when it was starting to look up."

Amane shrugged. "I don't own Hikari," she said simply. "Anyway, it's none of my business what happens between you and Tsubomi-chan-"

"Damn straight it isn't," Yaya growled, bristling at Amane's words. "And who gave you the right to call her that?"

Sighing, Amane ignored the jab, realizing that it was the insecure, jealous part of Yaya talking. "Whoever's fault this whole mess was…blaming someone else won't get you anywhere, Nanto-san," she said in a low, unwavering tone. "Tsubomi-san doesn't want to hear about how none of this was your fault, or about how Hikari started it. You have to remember that you kissed her _back_, and even if you don't find reason to apologize for what happened between the two of you, you at least owe her the time spent to make it up to her. You can't just expect her to get over it with no real effort on your part."

Yaya scoffed, willing herself not to show how much the words affected her; how stupid she felt that Prince Charming had to be the one to point it out to her. "As if you can go around preaching about love," she muttered under her breath, not even realizing what she had just said.

Amane merely nodded, surprised at the sudden confession, but not altogether shocked that the brunette felt that way for her pink-haired…whatever she was, at the moment. Girlfriends would probably be a stretch, even if Yaya was still referring to them as such, and she was positive Tsubomi would have her head for encouraging the brunette. "You're right," she admitted, "but just because Hikari and I haven't worked out doesn't mean that you should put yourself above taking advice from others."

Yaya scoffed again, fully prepared to lash out, but Amane continued on.

"Think about this, Nanto-san," she said, "Will knowing that my relationship with Hikari failed make it any less painful to you if Tsubomi leaves you because you put yourself above doing everything in your power to make her come back?" She hesitated there for a moment. "If so…I used to think of you as my serious competition, Nanto-san, but if your pride is stopping you from saving your relationship with the girl you love, you're not the girl I thought you were."

Yaya's temper spiked, but Amane was walking away even as the brunette yelled at her back, "As if I care what _you _think of me, Ohtori!"

And then she was gone, and Yaya slumped back down on the couch, wondering if maybe Amane's words were true.

_Well of course they're _true _but…_

Yaya stared down at her feet. Would she really lose Tsubomi if things kept going on like this? For every stupid, thoughtless thing Yaya had done, the pinkette had forgiven her within days. But now…

She didn't recognize the look in Tsubomi's eyes, not on the pinkette. Tsubomi was supposed to be bossy, loud, and, above all, optimistic. But that _look_, it was like…it was like Tsubomi had given up, like she was agreeing to give Yaya a second chance only because she truly believed she couldn't hurt anymore than she was right now.

It was like a ticking clock, a bomb waiting to go off. It was as if she had accepted Yaya's fleeting devotion as inevitable, only sticking around because really, what could it hurt?

And that realization hurt Yaya more than she thought possible. It was realizing that she was in love, in love with a girl who had remained utterly loyal to her, stuck by her side through everything, no less. It was realizing that she had a chance at happiness, a chance at something even bigger than whatever she'd had with Hikari, and then realizing that she might have already thrown that chance away.

And for the first time in years, silent tears fell down Yaya's cheeks, as if she didn't realize she was crying at all.

**PGBR**

Chikaru lay flat on her back on the large bed, her head turned towards Tamao, who currently had her nose buried in a book of poetry.

This was to be the last night of their trip before the return to Astraea Hill (the real world), and she wanted to clear a few things up before they left, because she wasn't sure how easy it would be to have so much time together anywhere else. That in itself wasn't a problem- the real problem came in that she wasn't sure exactly _how _to ask these questions of the adorable blunette sharing her bed.

Chikaru was patient in many ways, even in love, to an extent, but she wasn't a hookup kind of person. It wasn't that she thought that Tamao _was_, but she did know from firsthand experience what the pains of unrequited love could do to any woman, especially a young, emotional girl. She still remembered that night, not so long ago in her fourth year, when Shion came to her after not speaking directly to her in years, in tears because that was the day she discovered that Miyuki was in love with Shizuma. She was certain that she meant nothing to Shion- not in that way, at least.

And everything was okay, because it didn't _have _to mean anything. But sitting here, now, with her growing feelings for Tamao, Chikaru wasn't sure she could bear to be in that position again, not for the girl she was well on her way to falling for.

And it wasn't that she thought Tamao would be angry with her, either; she liked to think she knew the blunette better than that. It was the honesty she wasn't sure she would be able to bear; the honesty that she knew Tamao would face her with in answering her question.

Chikaru shook the thoughts from her head- this wasn't like her at all. She was kind, patient, forgiving…anything but petty and insecure. But every time she saw Tamao's eyes light up around Nagisa, a sick, unfamiliar emotion lit up in her chest, and all she wanted to do was claim the blunette for her own.

She sighed- this thinking was doing nothing for her. Surely Kizuna and Remon would have a party if they realized that even their beloved Chikaru-oneesama was affected by the green-eyed monster. At least she was skilled in hiding it.

"Chikaru-sama?"

Chikaru blinked from her thoughts, up into the eyes of a concerned Tamao, and her lips curled into a sweet, involuntary smile. "Come here," she murmured, helping the girl arrange herself on her lap before pulling her into a sweet, lengthy kiss. She felt Tamao pause in surprise, but the girl soon adjusted and kissed back, shifting so that her legs were hanging off to the left, arms wrapped around Chikaru's neck.

As the kiss broke, Tamao ducked her head to rest against the Le Rim president's chest, content to listen to the steady, safe lullaby of her heartbeat. The raven-haired girl tilted her head back towards the ceiling, resigning herself to the inevitable, even as she felt the smaller girl's fingers pressing lightly against her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked in a fond, amused voice, and Tamao blushed heavily.

"I was feeling the vibrations when you spoke," she mumbled, her face growing redder at an unhealthy pace. "Sorry." The blunette's eyes filled with shame, leaving the great Chikaru flustered for half a second before she quickly remedied the situation by kissing the girl's temple.

"Don't apologize, I was only curious," she hummed, running her fingers up and down the blunette's arm. "May I ask you a question, Tamao-chan?"

Tamao frowned in confusion, but smiled up at Chikaru soon after. "Hai, Chikaru-sama."

Chikaru giggled and ran a hand through the blue locks. "First of all, no more with this Chikaru-sama business, okay? Call me Chikaru, or Chikaru-chan. I think we're past that point, don't you?"

Tamao flushed and nodded, embarrassed, in a way that Chikaru found to be utterly adorable. "Hai, Ch-Chikaru-chan."

Chikaru smiled and leaned down to kiss the girl on the top of her head, hesitating there for a moment before pulling away. "Tamao-chan, I'm well aware that you still have feelings for Nagisa-chan…to be honest, anything else and I would doubt you loved her at all," Chikaru began, adding in the last bit once she felt Tamao stiffen in her arms. "But I need to know…" She paused, mentally putting the words into their correct places so as to elicit the most honest, least painful answer from the blunette in her arms. "If she and Shizuma were to break up…" And then Chikaru felt like slapping herself, because that was quite possibly the worst thing she could have said.

_You're supposed to be _good _at this, what's gotten into you?_

But the damage was done, and Chikaru left the fragment for what it was, knowing the brilliant girl in her arms would piece the puzzle together. Tamao frowned slightly, and tilted her head to look up at the Le Rim president, who immediately looked away, wanting to keep her emotions out of Tamao's honest answer as much as she could. "Would I consider dating her?" Tamao finally specified, to which Chikaru replied with a nod. The blunette giggled slightly, causing Chikaru to frown down at her, bemused and slightly hurt. "Chikaru-chan…do you really think I would willingly put myself through that roller coaster again? Even if Shizuma was gone, Nagisa is hopelessly in love with her, and then what if _Shizuma _came back?"

Chikaru's face fell, and Tamao scrambled to continue.

"Th-that's not to say you're second best, or a replacement or anything," the blunette hurriedly added. "In fact, I've come to realize that Nagisa and I could probably never work out. I won't lie and say I don't still have feelings for her, but with our personalities and interests…I'm finding it hard to believe what I felt for her was true love, especially after watching Rokujou-sama and Shizuma throughout the year."

Chikaru's eyes glinted with hope- this was much more than the answer she had been hoping for, and she couldn't resist leaning down and capturing the blunette's lips in another kiss, this one more frenzied than the last. It was a kiss of relief, of an uplifted spirit. "I'm glad, then," she murmured against Tamao's lips before pressing another long kiss to them. She hesitated there for a moment before pulling away, a far off look in her eyes. Tamao tilted her head, confused. "I haven't had feelings for someone in so long," Chikaru mused, "I've forgotten what angst feels like."

Tamao giggled and a proud smile played at the edges of Chikaru's lips. "Hopefully there won't be much more of it," the blunette murmured, her eyelids drooping with sleep as she cuddled closer to the warm body that held her.

"Hopefully," Chikaru hummed, running her fingers through the silky blue locks. "It may be early, but I'd like to not waste more time wondering, so, would you give me the privilege of calling you mine?"

Tamao tensed in her arms, and for a moment, Chikaru was terrified that she'd read the situation wrong, but then the blunette grinned widely and leaned up for yet another kiss. "Of course I'll give you 'the privilege'," she said, eliciting an uncommon blush from the Le Rim president. "I never had you pegged for the chivalrous type, Chikaru-chan."

The raven-haired girl only smiled enigmatically and slid down under the covers with Tamao, arms wrapped around the girl's waist as she drifted to sleep.

**So a shamelessly fluffy Chikaru/Tamao section in this one, sorry D: I'm miserably sick, to the point of not being able to sleep even when I'm dead tired (don't you HATE that?). I really thought I made it through both my mom and my sister's colds without catching one, but I guess it was too early to count my chickens, right? (feels like a total dork for saying that) Anyway, whenever I'm sick, I need tons of affection, but seeing as I can't get that, because even if I DID have friends, they wouldn't want to be around me at this point, I decided to experience it in a third-person kind of sense. **


End file.
